Left Wing Trauma
by Sterella
Summary: Missy is a sworn medic. She believes everyone deserves to be healed...everyone. Will her self righteous ego get her and her assistant Nurse into hot water? Violence. Gore. Swearing. Maybe a little love later on... BRIEF HIATUS!
1. A Medic and her Assistant

The floor was slick with blood, making every step a potential slip. One hand was firmly pressing gauze into the heavily leaking wound, the other she used to wipe sweat from her face.

"NURSE! NURSE GET YOUR ASS IN HERE!" Her arms were shaking from exhaustion, her heart was beating in rhythm with her patients heart monitor. Her breath came out in a whoosh at the sight of her assistant. "HURRY UP AND GRAB THAT CLAMP! Help me close this wound!"

His beady eyes shone with fear when she barked orders at him, but he did as he was told.

They managed to close the wound, and the patient stabilized. She sat down on an old barrel and let her body relax. A small sound made her look back at her nurse as he sniffled and sobbed "I'm sorry Mistress, I just left for a moment…" His hurt expression made her feel a deep sense of guilt.

"I told you I don't like being called that. Just call me Missy." He looked up when she patted him lightly on the head "I know you're trying very hard. I don't mean to snap at you." He may slip up every now and then, but he was learning…quite fast actually. He certainly did better than she thought he would…for a grunt.

Missy let Nurse finish dressing the wound and decided to check on her other patients.

Her medic station looked like an abandoned, disheveled bunker from the outside, but underneath was a long system of tunnels and rooms. It was dark and damp, and its stability was questionale...but she had come to love it. It even came with equipment, ok old equipment but she had made use of it. In a way she felt the older tech made her work more flexible.

She frowned when yet another light went out in the long narrow hallway. She reflected on all the supplies she was going to need to scrounge for again. So far she had only a small supply of rations, and even less blood. Blood was easier for her to get though. The dwindling rations and chemicals made it impossible to sleep well at night.

She pushed these thoughts from her head as she came to her patient's "room". A small cubicle in the hallway marked with a number "3".

"Ah! Good to see you awake." The jackel stared at her blankly. It's not like he understood her, she didnt speak jackel. Missy took a look at his heart monitor and began cutting away the cast that denied him his lower body movement. She didnt even flinch when he tried to kick her.

The chains rattled while he struggled against his restraint. She smiled evily. Its times like this she is glad they can't understand her "That's right bastard. You're chained up. Now be greatful I saved your ungrateful ass."

Nurse poked his head in. "You called me Mistress?" The jackel hissed under his breath, but Nurse paid him no mind. _Ok. Funs over._

As she spoke she made sure to keep direct eye contact with her jackel patient "You were wounded severely in battle. I have taken you into my medical facility and have treated your wounds as best I can. As soon as you get back to your camp please seek a trained medical practitioner for your species." Her Nurse translated her words into the strange hissing/clacking language of the jackels.

She felt a small bud of pride for the little guy, despite him being an alien. He could pick up languages like she could pick up a scalpel. "I have given you my own cache of supplies and medicines. I saved your life. I ask that you keep this facility a secret and ask for your utmost cooperation." The jackel eyed her curiously as she took out a needle.

"I will sedate you and put you in a safe location, close to your allies, so that you can easily reach them without harm." Her patient screeched, but his restraints held him down as she plunged the needle into his arm. She watched as the cocktail sedative she created worked into his system. The effect was almost instantaneous.

Nurse made a happy grunt and watched in admiration "Your sedatives are improving Mistress!" Sometimes he could really be a little kiss-ass. She smiled. She didn't entirely hate that though.


	2. Needs and Wants

**The reason I posted this so quickly was because I realized I that I hadn't made an author intro in the first chapter. Anyways, just wanted to let you know that I like to use the words Sangheili for Elites, Unggoy for Grunts, Kig-Yar for Jackels, Jiralhanae for Brutes, etc. Sometimes. I do not own Halo (Oh how I wish I did). Please no Call of Duty, Gears of War, etc. slamming on my fic. Please read and review, I'd be much obliged.**

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><p>The day had felt extremely long to her. Down here below the bunker you couldn't tell whether it was night or day.<p>

She couldn't remember the last time she had slept. A low growl from her empty stomach made her wonder when she had last ate as well. Eating and sleep would have to wait though.

Missy came to her room and made sure to close the door. The small room was furnished only with a small holey bed and a locker…her locker.

The door creaked when she opened it. Inside sat her weights, her fighting pole, and a few odds and ends. And behind it all her armor sat, patiently waiting to be used.

Her hand reached out mechanically and patted the top of the blue visor helm, a habit she had gotten into.

Missy grabbed the weights and pole, all the while thinking she may need to don the suit soon. Medical supplies were greatly needed, she was going to need to do some foraging and raiding again.

Her body was shaking from exhaustion; but she decided she would push through her exercises, then rest. She grabbed hold of the worn wooden pole and began her basic melee training. Swish, swish, swi-crack! She made the pole sing as she jabbed, parried, and slashed at imaginary foes. The pole was nice, but she wished she had a good shotgun to protect her. _I'm not likely to get one anytime soon though. _Guns were hard to come by around these parts, and she wasn't about to steal from her people.

Finally, after lifting, stretching, and combat training she decided a little nap wouldn't hurt. On the floor near her bed stood a single water bottle. Missy stooped and retrieved it the label said "Knockout Juice! 2-hr." The goopy liquid was her own creation, and she had to admit it did the trick.

However, there seemed to be barely any left. Even when she tipped the bottle all the way upside down she only got a few drops. _Oh well, I'm tired enough. _Trying not to think about her lack of rations and medicine she drifted off to sleep.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Your assignment is to find out what has been taking our supplies. As of late, we have had a drastic decline in Unggoy medicines. Our reports also show that we have lost a few shipments of rations for Unggoy and Kig-Yar." The Ultra bellowed.

The small information retrieval squad consisted of 3 stealth minors and 2 stealth majors, including him.

_I can't believe they asked me to lead this, this…_ Voro' Tuyokee's eyes scanned once again over the raggedy team. He probably had more experience than all of them combined.

He had heard of the other major, some 'Vadam or 'Vadel or other. _His _rank was questionable at flared throughout his body; he fought to keep his face blank and his eyes clear. The Ultra stopped abruptly in front of him.

"Is there something you wish to voice major?" He got right up in his face, daring him to rise to his challenge.

For a moment he wanted to fight him, lash out at the disgrace of being assigned to simply locate a few stray supplies. His eyes fell to the floor "No. I am honored to lead such an important mission." The words came out automatically and left a bitter taste in his mouth.

The Ultra's mandible's split in a Sangheili smile "Good. You will leave as soon as possible."

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><p><strong>And that is the end of Chapter 2. Please feel free to voice your opinion and review my story. I am not too persnickety to reject criticism. Or, if you really like my story, I would love to hear it.<strong>


	3. Peace and Quiet

**Wow, its been awile since I've posted a chapter! Sorry about that guys and gals! Anyways here is Chapter 3, please remember to Read and Review...how else am I going to know if you like this or not?**

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><p>After, Missy felt it was time to go visit her good friends…the corpses.<p>

She kept the morgue far down in the basement, where it was nice and cool. The Morgue must have been some sort of mechanic chop shop before she had got here. Car and vehicle parts had been strewn all over the benches ad tables, and the air still held a faint smell of oil. She felt it was sort of funny that instead of a machine chop shop, it was a nice and bloody body chop shop. Instead of chains and bolts everywhere, there were bits and pieces of dissected body parts and entrails. The smell of oil, though faint, was masked by the stench of blood and rot. Nurse hated it down here, but this was were she found solice.

She took out a blood spattered notebook labeled "Sangheili" from one of the crummy desk drawers. Nurse had wrote the word for her and told her it meant elite.

She ran a finger over the strange alien word and walked over to the rows of makeshift tables. Crates and stacked barrels, and in one case, an overturned warthog kept the corpses off the ground. The one true metal examination table held her corpse-to- be-examined. It was rather lumpy looking under its grimy cloth, and some of the indigo blood had seeped through.

She clucked her tongue sadly at the corpse when she threw off the tattered cloth. For some reason it was very hard to come upon an intact elite corpse. She blamed it on their tendency to "die with honor". The only thing left of her elite corpse was a severely damaged torso and mangled arms.

Sighing she grabbed a nice clean bone saw and began to cut the annoyingly tight armor from the better looking arm. She chuckled to herself a little.

Most people are scared to death of corpses, whether they are human or alien, but she wasn't. Maybe it was because her parents had been doctors, maybe it was her training, or maybe she was just messed up.

Her thoughts wandered to the morgue on Reach, the dead marines after some cocky Spartan decided to show them who was top dog in a fist fight, Mother's encouraging teachings…Missy snapped herself out of it and tried to focus only on cutting.

Thankfully she didn't have to distract herself long. Her excitement escalated when she finally sliced through the armor. _And now let's see what secrets you hide. _The elites fascinated her more than any other species of covenant. Their muscles were so tight and fibrous, definitely denser than humans.

But the two species, though seemingly different had surprisingly similar structures. Yes, it was quite interesting indeed.

As she was sketching the magnificent muscle tissue Nurse came in and squeaked "Mistress…we are completely out of Unggoy rations." _If he came down to the morgue to tell me this then it must be very drastic. _Setting down her notebook she blew a stray black strand of hair from her face. "Time to suit up."

. . . . . .

Her armor was rather plain. Other Spartans had requested their armor in fancy colors and designs...they were pig-headed idiots.

She had requested a brown and tan paint job so she might more easily blend into her surroundings. Being a medic meant kneeling next to patients in dangerous situations; she didn't need to make herself a bigger target.

Nurse helped her put the suit on…well, the helmet. The grunt was on his tip-toes trying to fit the helmet over her head, even though she was kneeling. She grabbed the sides and helped grate it over her damaged neural interface. A combat wound had fried the circuits and put her in a coma for a month, and left her with a damaged suit of armor and neural slot.

The thought made her angry. She could fix any broken bone or mend any wound, but fixing a body and fixing a machine were quite different. Sometimes she really wished her friend Huddy was here. Huddy could have fixed anything.

Once the suit powered on the neural input caused a wave of nausea to sweep over her. The room flexed and spun, her vision doubled.

Nurse danced around her, trying to be ready in case she had a seizure again. Swallowing, she gritted her teeth and straightened "Let's do this." Nurse knew better than to question her, he just grabbed her large duffle bag and readied her secret weapons.

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><p><strong>Ahh, another chapter completed! Yeah I know Missy turned out to be a spartan but so what? A lot of people make stories about spartans...but Missy is a bit special. Read and Review please! Until next we meet.<strong>


	4. Fox Trot

**Once again I do not own Halo or anything related to Halo. A lot of people have told me that the chapters are too short. Yes, I do realize that. I just dont have a lot of time on my hands to when I can make totally awesome long chapters...but from now on I say "Give the people what they want." So if you _want _something your need to review. Please do review though. I love hearing from you guys. Enjoy the next "longer" chapter.**

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><p>Three days in and Voro' Tuyokee was still crouched near the supply cache. He had come back to this same location for days now…and no activity.<p>

He surveyed the area and, he had to admit, this was a great place for anyone to take supplies from. The human city park was quite hilly here and some of the fallen buildings made artificial mountains that were great for cover. They had many gaping holes that a thief could easily slip out of without being noticed.

Not only that, but the incompetent guards could barely keep their eyes open for more than a few hours. Voro hissed angrily. _They should have their eyelids torn off so they wouldn't get in the way of their watching. _

His legs ached from crouching in wait for so long; he shifted his weight slowly and carefully. His active camouflage barely shimmered when he moved. Unlike his fellows. He could clearly see where each of his "teammates" where crouching. All of them lacked the discipline to keep still and unseen. One fool fidgeted so much a half blind human could have easily shot him dead.

The sun was slowly lowering to kiss the very top of the nearest human structure, making the sky turn a bright red-orange.

_Perhaps there will not be a raid today either. _Just as he was going to call an end to his watch duty, a slight disturbance caught his trained eye. A slanted door on a building not 10 yards from his location was swinging. He had seen that door; it had been shut just moments before.

The major didn't bother to alert his team. They at least had the common sense to fan out in the immediate area when he moved out, and they kept their comm. silent thank the prophets.

He went to the door and inspected it closely, noting the dark corridor, and a mound of fabric lying just inside. Lifting it up he saw it was a large human carrying sack. _The thief must be using this to tote…_ His thoughts were interrupted as an anguished roar came from the other side of the supply dock.

As he swiftly crouch-walked toward the source of the cry he heard one of the minors scream over the radio "It's….it's A DE*Sclurch*!" then the feed cut. He could see the two lazy-ass guards lying on the ground; they both appeared to be unconscious.

He rounded a corner and was shocked at what foe awaited him. "Shit." Was the only word that could escape his suddenly dry throat.

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><p><em>Crack! <em>She gave the shimmering enemy a strong slug to the face with her armored fist.

The other one rushed at her, his cloaking device was either dead, or he hadn't bothered to turn it on again. He appeared to be a major, and was the braver of the two. His light sword singed the air with every swipe. Missy jumped out of the way right before he could try to skewer and cook her.

The elite she had punched was still a little dazed from her upper cut. "Make yourself useful!" She pushed the dazed alien into his companion. The two crashed into each other with a loud _Smack! _

When they struggled to get up Missy took out two more of her arsenal of syringes, and stabbed them both quickly in the chest. _I didn't want to kill any of you…but you saw me. _Sorrow washed over her as the two began coughing up blood in gurgling fits, before they were swept into eternal sleep. "Let's see…two guards, two minors, one major. That should do it I guess." She had watched the supply dock for two whole days and had taken careful note of every enemy.

She walked over to the two guards and took their pulses to be sure they still lived. Luckily the guards hadn't seen her so all she had to do was knock them out. _They're probably the only ones who get to live through this._ A large shadow crept over the ground where she was crouched.

She gasped and turned just in time as a bright sword tried to slash her in half. Instinct took over and she danced away.

She had to guess that it was a stealth elite. But as soon as she had seen the light sword, it was gone in a flash and so was the shimmering air.

Missy felt fear crawl up her spine. Normally you could see them. The air would shimmer or you could see a light sword or something. There was an unmistakable crackle of a light sword behind her and she leapt out of the way.

_Maybe if I play on his sense of honor he will get reckless. _"Coward. Are you afraid of the mighty strength of a Demon?" She thought she heard a growl but she wasn't sure. Missy kept up her dance though to be safe.

She jumped and sprinted, dodged and tumbled. Trying to not make a pattern so her enemy couldn't predict her actions. Then she heard something, a slight intake of breath right…_in front of her!_ Leaping high into the air she just barely missed the sword meant to cut her in two, and she crashed down on top of the elite. As he struggled to recover Missy punched the back of him.

She punched madly, anywhere and everywhere she could while he was still shimmering. Suddenly, the cloaking device sputtered and melted away, revealing the biggest elite she had ever seen.

In her shock he had grabbed her roughly around the neck with one hand and flung her a good 12 feet. Twisting like a cat, she landed less-than-gracefully on her feet and tumbled to one side as the elite slashed at her. As they danced she sized him up. He was well over 9"7' as far as she could tell, and bulging with muscles. He had a take no-shit kind of attitude, and he didn't seem to be drunk on honor like those other half-wits. Overall, she needed a weapon or else he was going to bull right over her.

As the two tangoed something caught her eye. A light sword lay deactivated on the ground to her left. _He might not see it… _The new threat just kept hacking at her madly. _Or he might be trying to trap me, but hell, I'll die if I don't get a weapon anyways._ Rolling sharply to the left she jumped for the sword.

A loud *sker-crack* resonated when the elite's sword slashed the ground, missing his target.

Missy laughed at his angry roar and activated the sword easily enough. "Now the fun begins." Launching from the ground, she taunted her adversary as they clashed. This was very much like her pole training, if not more exhilarating. Parry, thrust, dodge, _crack! _

The two seemed to be evenly matched. The elite was large and very strong, he drove her back and forth. But the Spartan was swift and sure-footed, making him chase her this way and that.

The elite stumbled and she saw her chance. She lashed out at him swift as a bullet.

But she realized too late that she had moved her arm just a little too fast.

A horrible jolt from her damaged neural interface stabbed through her spine. Suddenly, her vision darkened. Her world swam and spiraled. "Oh shit…no.." Vomit burned her throat.

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><p>He had thought he was done for, but at the sight of his foe's hesitation, Voro struck.<p>

The light sword slashed through the air with a resounding crackle, and he felt pleasure in hearing the agonized scream of the demon. It had moved slightly to the right when he had swung, but he had managed to inflict a deep gauge on its left side.

Its blood appeared black in the fading light and was flowing thickly from the wound. The stench of burned flesh and blood made him smile.

"You BASTARD!" it croaked. Ah, a she-demon…and she clearly was ill.

He almost felt pity; the thing was swaying on its feet and smelled of vomit. "I will make your death quick," The Demon stumbled and tripped, over its own feet "for I am not unkind. A swift death should be appreciated since you are in no condition to fight."

To his surprise, the Demon defiantly picked herself up off the ground and stood to face him.

The red-orange sunlight glanced off the armor and appeared to create a halo of light around its head. _How appropriate._ Voro lifted his sword "Very well. I respect your wish to die honorably."

In an instant the defeated looking demon screamed and threw herself at him. The two clashed blades, the crackling rang off the buildings. Despite her obvious injuries, the she-demon seemed to have found new strength as she hacked at him ferociously. _Like a cornered animal she strikes desperately._ _Let her tire. Then I will cut off her head. _

He could just imagine the look on the ultra's face when he brought back a demon. With every blow, blood spurted from the deep gash, covering the ground in her thick red blood.

Finally, the Demon fell to one knee, dropping the sword.

He could hear her panting laboriously as she clutched her side and moaned. "Victory is mine, Demon." He leaned in and jerked her helmed head back to look him in the eye.

His sword seemed to ripple with his anticipation "My house will sing of my triumph for generations."

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><p><strong>Alright! This was a long one, *whew* it was hard work but it was worth it for you guys. Please review, I learn from criticism so do not be afraid if you think you will hurt my feelings. Cause you won't. ai will just cry for days on end and then rewrite my entire story. Just kidding! Seriously though. Review. Or Missy will come and dissect you and Nurse will dance on your entrails. Bye! Love, Sterella.<strong>


	5. Spartans Never Die

**Alright friends, here is the next chapter! Left you with a bit of a cliff hanger the last time huh? Well anyways, I do not own anything related to Halo and you know the whole deal. Don't sue me. Thank you. Please read and review. Love hearing from you guys.**

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><p>The split-face jerked her head back roughly.<p>

His dark eyes glittered in awe, and his mandibles clacked with what she could only guess as excitement "My house will sing of my triumph for generations."

Blah. Blah. Blah. Her head was pounding and his talk grated on her nerves. Sangheili talk way too much. Still rambling on about honor and glory, he lifted the sword above his head.

She never expected her imminent death to look so pretty, it shimmered in the fading light. _Could be the last thing I ever see..._ Carefully, she slid out her last syringe.

_Or not._ Just as split-face was about to lop her head off, she thrust the syringe into his vulnerable left knee joint and smashed the plunger down.

The Sangheili jumped back in surprise. He took out the syringe with a swipe of his large hand. She began to chuckle but grit her teeth from the pain in her side.

"A pitiful last attempt, _Demon_. I was hoping for a better scar to remember you by." He raised his sword to finish her.

Suddenly, his leg buckled under him and he went down roaring in pain.

She couldn't help smiling when he looked down in horror as the flesh on his leg began to deteriorate. The pain must have been something awful from the way he was shouting…either that or he was a pussy. Her cocktail worked its way into his system and soon the Sangheili slipped into unconsciousness with a final whimper.

With a grunt, she got to her feet.

The adrenaline that her body had released was wearing off now that the danger was gone. Her vision began to go dark again._ I can't faint now though, not here. _Surely there would be a patrol coming to check on this area soon. And who knows when the guards she spared might wake up and take advantage of her weakened state.

Strangely, her canvas bag lay only a few feet away. _From the direction the big guy came from. Guess I should thank him for saving me a trip. _Missy rummaged through it and took out a duct-tape covered Barbasol shaving cream canister.

Inside held her special brand of augmented biofoam. _Guess I have no choice. _The biofoam had been a last minute throw together, ah-what-the-hell kind of deal. Being made just a few days ago…she had had no time to test it. _I'm either gonna die with it or without it. _

Spraying it up into the morbid gash, she could do no more than pray it wouldn't explode her lungs.

The pain from the spray was worse than she expected as the special chemicals began to bind up the split blood vessels…well, that's what it's_ supposed_ to do anyway. But she didn't feel a thud from her chest cavity, so at least thatwon't kill her.

Pain seeped away into blissful numbness, making her sigh with relief. Her vision cleared and she inspected her downed enemy.

His left leg was deteriorating as her little bacterium began to rapidly eat away his flesh. It appeared the hungry little monsters were to the bone already. _At least he won't feel it now though. _

She watched as his chest slowly rose and fell, rather abnormal for that amount of dosage. Normally he would be dead by now. But he was alive and still breathing…

On a complete whim, she poured a vial of vivid blue liquid over his mangled leg. _I really hope this doesn't come back to bite me in the ass._

...

Nurse practically shat himself when Missy stumbled into the surgery room as she half carried, half drug, in the huge elite.

Nurse was staring blankly at the white and black checkered tile floor where her red blood was dripping to mix with her patients indigo. The Spartan laughed wearily at his expression, causing chunks of her biofoam to fall to the ground in wet smacks.

She slapped her prize on to the table. "Hey Nursey! I'ma gonna need you to use a tourniquet for my buddy's leg here," Her tongue felt slippery in her mouth "And while you're at it grab one o' them oxygen tanks from the back…" Missy felt light-headed and she knew she was delirious, but everything just seemed so funny! "You know what I always wanted to say?"

Nurse glanced at her warily as he grabbed a nearby cloth and tightened it above the elite's wound.

"Well…I'll say it anyway. Is there a doctor in the house?" Her laughter quickly morphed into a painful coughing fit. Blood spattered the inside of her vomit encrusted visor.

Theatrically, she hit the side of her helmet "Oh that's right! I _am_ the doctor!" The Spartan collapsed to the floor with a final chuckle.

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><p>Bright.<p>

The word seemed to lack luster in comparison to the light shining down the dark corridor.

_…is that… paradise?_ _Perhaps the prophets were right?_ Whether it was a gateway to a new life, or imminent doom, he still felt drawn to the its brilliance.

As he swung his foot forward he fell to the floor. He felt so heavy. Why was he so heavy?

He did not look at his body though. Somehow, he knew he should not look back. His eyes only saw the light in all its glory.

He felt his thousand pound arms begin to drag him towards it.

Somewhere far off he heard a slow melody like the chimes from a church. The sound was pleasing and it made him move faster.

Something wasn't right though.

The music was getting faster, and faster. The floor was turning into a black mud, slipping in between his fingers and sucking him down.

Panic filled his being as he noticed that the light was dimming.

Faster, faster, faster.

He sloshed his heavy arms through the darkness; his leg no more than an anchor that kept pulling him downward. The light was getting closer, just barely out of reach.

Desperation coursed through his body and he felt a fear he had never felt before. He feared the darkness, it pulled and sucked trying to drown him in its vastness.

The chimes had morphed into a horrendous chorus of beeps and they screamed at him greedily to stay away from their magnificent light. But he wanted, no _needed_ it.

He reached out and touched it…

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><p><strong>Yay! Missy lives...with a few horrific injuries! Once a again I really appreciate you guys reading and reviewing my work. I like constructive criticism. Oh by the way, do you guys like how I structure the story? I try to spread it out so it is easier for you guys to read...but if you dont like it let me know! Till next time.<strong>


	6. Bad Dreams, Worse Reality

**Hey everyone! I hope you like my story so far. If you have any pet-peevs about my writing: let. me. know. It's kind of hard to figure out what people like and don't like without any reviews. Anyways...im going to stop whining now and let you get back to the story! Oh, yeah...I sadly, do not own Halo. Missy is a character I made up though. **

**By the way...I am having a little challenge/contest. Just for you. Details are on my aprofile page.**

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><p>"Isn't this interesting? I've never seen a bio compound quite like this before." Mother gasped while she peered through the microscope. Mother was so pretty; her eyes sky blue, her hair golden like an angel's, and she had the kindest smile imaginable.<p>

The shy, scrawny looking little girl watched her with all the admiration only a child could have. And now she stood on her tippiest toes just to see over the counter to watch Mother examine her work. The counters were for adults she knew, but she worked in the lab too! _They need to get me a little lab table. That would be nice. But where would they put it?_

She looked around the room. It was lit artificially, casting a bluish glow on the white countertops and floors. Large equipment covered in buttons and dials dictated most of the walls and flooring, but there was just enough room to use the counters. There would be no place to put a little counter for her. The girl grumbled a bit, normally she liked to stand or sit on top of the counter when working. But Mother didn't like it when she did that.

"Who's experiment did you replicate I wonder? This looks very similar to some of my work…" Mother cooed while still looking through the microscope.

Pride swelled in the girl's little chest as she declared "I made that myself!" Mother looked down at her quizzically, but then seemed to remember the girl's tendency to amaze.

Mother's smile was so warm and approving. The girl's heart felt close to bursting knowing that Mother was so happy with her! Mother's smiles made up the whole girl's world. She would do anything, just to see it.

"You must let me take a look at your notes. This is a very advanced technique, I am very proud of you 22." The girl called 22 smiled widely, her dark blue eyes sparkling brightly. Of course she had notes…but why not show Mother how to replicate the process?

That would make her have to stay with her longer! "I…I forgot to take notes. But I can show you instead!"

Mother tsked sadly "I'm sorry 22. I have other things I must tend to."

The torrent of sadness was overwhelming…but she understood. 22 bit her lip to keep from crying in front of Mother "I want to see you again ok? I want to show you the process."

Mother was busy writing down something on her holopad but mumbled "Of course." She was about to turn to leave when she suddenly gave the girl a soft look "And 22, you really should get back to the training grounds. Mendez doesn't like it when his students skip." 22 simply nodded and grumbled again. Satisfied, Mother picked up her notepad.

As Mother turned to leave, 22 called after her "Good bye Mother!"

This caused the woman to stop abruptly and turn "I am not your mother. You are to call me Dr. Halsey." She turned her head from side to side, looking to make sure no one heard her "Try and remember that, 22." She pleaded, her eyes glittering with sorrow.

They glittered brightly…and soon became blinding. A searing heat came off in waves from her gaze, and soon lit the whole room in a blazing inferno.

/\/\/\**V**/\/\/\

Voro' woke from his sleep aching all over.

Rolling onto his side he took in his surroundings. He was in a dimly lit room with black and white checkered flooring. _A human room… _His suspicions were confirmed when he saw the metallic, primitive devices that accompanied him in the room. _A food preparation area at that. _

Panic fluttered in his chest when he realized he could not move, but it soon melted away. His restraint appeared to be a bluish, stained blanket that was tangled about his limbs.

After wrestling with the sheets, he sat up and looked towards the double doors that led out. _I better see who is in charge here. I haven't heard of this medical facility before._ He frowned when he saw that they had stripped him of his armor. _Blasted medics. They had better be careful with my armor._ Just as he was about to swing off the uncomfortable bed, he stopped.

His blood felt like it had frozen over in an instant, locking him in place. "By the rings…" On the floor next to him lay a demon, clad in brown armor.

It stirred slightly, but did not seem to notice him.

_Do my eyes deceive me? Its head is uncovered! _It was true. The demon was lying flat on its back, its face completely exposed.

_So this is what hides behind the armor?_ The face was hard and lean, it resembled a human's…but there was a certain…aura…that separated it from the rest of its species. Still, it didn't look so threatening without its helmet.

He didn't feel so vulnerable now. In fact, it looked like he could take it on without his armor. It looked like just another human.

It appeared to be female, well, judging by its hair. _Such a strange color. _He mused. Its hair was a dark black, that only seemed darker compared to her shockingly white complexion.

Sangheili had no hair on their bodies. _I wonder what hair feels like? It looks sort of soft… _

His top mandibles flared in disgust. _Vermin. They're fur covered, flea infested apes all of them._

Whispering, he spoke to the demon "I can't believe The Covenant are scared of you. You look just like any other human. You bleed, eat, shit, and sleep just as I do. They make you out to be some sort of…of…" _Demon._

A small nasally sound coming from the creature on the floor caught his attention. _It is just another living being. Look at how defenseless it looks. Its _snoring _for prophets sake! _

A sudden realization hit him. He remembered this particular creature. They had fought to the death at the supply dock. He remembered how they had danced; clashing blades, and exchanging curses. He had thought his blow to its side had surely killed it. _It is certainly not dead. _Instead of feeling angry though, he felt a little saddened. He didn't want to kill the she-demon while it slept, like some coward…

"But perhaps I should finish what I started, eh Demon?" Voro' stretched a bit to soothe some of his aches and swung his feet over the edge of the table. The blanket fell away, flowing to the floor like a stream of blue liquid, revealing his legs.

"Wha…" Hands shaking, he reached out and stroked the stub that was his left leg. It was covered in newly changed white linen. Dazed, he looked around the room, as if he might find his leg propped against a counter. _Where did my leg go?_

He thought it was just a bad dream.

Skin sloughing off his bones like metal melting from the heat of plasma.

Pain so terrible it made him cry out like a suckling babe. He thought it was all a dream.

His eyes widened at a rather strange twitching sensation. He still felt it. He could still feel the leg that was not there. But when he looked back down at the bandage, all he saw was a stump just above his left knee joint.

Voro' Tuyokee suddenly felt very tired. It was all just too much.

The hard table top bed suddenly seemed much more appealing, so he lay back down, and curled up in the blankets.

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><p><strong>Remember to check out my profile page for challengecontest details. I will choose a winner in 2 or 3 weeks. Remember to read and review. Love you guys.**


	7. Scars

**Hello again. I do not own Halo, shocking I know! Here is the next chapter. Please read and review and please check out the Challenge/Contest on my profile page. Deadline is approaching.**

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><p>\\/\**M**/\/\/

"MOTHER!" Missy sat up quickly, but the blood that rushed to her brain made her head swim, causing her to fall right back onto the floor. The light was so dim here. _Where am I?_ Her heart beat faster. Sweat beaded her forehead and her mouth felt dry. Visions of needles, scalpels, saws, and blood filled her with fear.

_No. Not again. _The panic faded as fast as it had appeared. Taking a deep breath she calmed when she remembered where she was.

The kitchen (her surgery room) was exactly as she remembered. Bottles cluttered all of the metal counters, where there were no bottles, there was medical equipment. Exactly how she liked it. The once blood covered floor was nice and clean now though. She could tell that Nurse had scrubbed all the mess off the floor…and even draped a nice blanket over her. _Funny. The doc is now the patient. _Her thoughts went to her own patient.

The Sangheili lay above her on the examination table, one arm slightly hanging over the edge. The dim light cast a glow on his dark skin that made him look as if he were made of stone…and from how still he was she thought he might be dead. But upon closer examination she could see his chest rise and fall.

_His armor is missing. I didn't know Nurse knew how to take off Sangheili armor. Gonna have to ask him about that sometime._ _But now what am I gonna do with him? _She had expected him to die. The only reason she had asked Nurse to heal him was because she thought it would have been good practice for her assistant. She didn't think he would have _actually _been able to save him! She had brought the elite back because she wanted a fresh corpse to examine.

The elite in question gave a little cough, but otherwise he seemed healthy as a fiddle. There was no way he was going to die now. A little voice whispered devilishly in her ear, _You could kill him. He tried to kill you, hell, he almost did! _The thought was tempting.

If she listened closely she could hear his two massive hearts thudding rhythmically. With each thump of his massive hearts her decision was nailed into place. _He is still my patient._ "Rest up and heal up big guy." She mumbled absently.

She reached up and slammed a heavy arm onto her patients "bed" to pull herself to her feet. Her legs felt shaky, but she was still clad in her armor and that helped support her. She reeked of shit, piss, vomit, and god knows what else.

_Wonder where Nurse is?_ She had thought he would be in to check on her by now. She couldn't help feeling a little hurt. Missy had imagined waking up with him right by her side; after all, she had saved him before._ He wouldn't leave me like this, right?_ Doubts crawled into her mind like worms through the dirt. she pushed those thoughts aside as she went over to one of the huge, tub-like chrome kitchen sinks and turned the water on full. _At least I can wash up a bit._

Her armor was a mess. She pried off the arm pieces and leg segments…but she saved the torso for last. _Glad Nurse didn't attempt to take my armor off. _Some of the metal alloy had melted and fused with her skin from the heat of the light sword. Missy grabbed a nearby dish rag and stuffed it in her mouth, biting down hard. The rag tasted like mold, but she didn't want to scream out and wake her patients.

She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly through her nose. Her teeth dug into the crust coated cloth in anticipation. _Ok. Just like a band-aiiiiie!_ With her augmented strength she ripped the armor off with ease. The metal had torn away little bits of flesh, but it was only skin deep. Now she could get a good look at her handsome scar.

After wiping away blood from the fresh wounds, she examined her scar as best she could in the reflection of the stainless steel refrigerator. Missy could only see patches of scabs left from her injury, the rest of it had healed and scarred over thanks to her augmentations. It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be.

The light sword had made a fresh-cut appearance, so clean she thought it kinda looked like a rather nasty birth scar. The flesh was still puckered from the swelling and it twisted gently, running a thick finger from just under her left breast to her hip. She spit out the dish rag and walked over to the sink.

/\/\/**V**\/\/\

Voro' had found it hard to get back to sleep; knowing his enemy lay next to him, his leg was gone, and he was in enemy territory.

Despite that, sleep finally started to sweep over him like a warm summer breeze.

…

"MOTHER!" His serpentine eyes flashed over to where the demon now sat, clutching its side.

His stealth training made him keep silent, and he closed his eyes to slits. _Interesting. _

It fell back to the floor panting, and turned to look over at him. He did not flinch, he simply breathed, slow and steady. _Just like training. _Even when it slammed an armored hand onto the top of the table, he did not move or cry out. It used the side of his table to haul itself to its feet. He dared not move as the Demon brought its face in closer to his. Its eyes flicked around his face, studying him.

It was so close.

He could feel its hot breath on his skin, making it crawl in revulsion wherever it touched.

At this distance he could easily reach out an arm and snap its neck clean in half…but the eyes stopped him.

He had never known humans could have such striking eyes, especially not a demon. Dark and commanding, the stare made him feel as if his very soul was being sucked away. The dark deep blue reminded him of the oceans of Sanghelios. He didn't think it possible to replicate that color… A sudden realization shook him from his stun. _I have stopped breathing._

The Demon's jaw clenched suddenly when it heard him stop breathing momentarily. _By The Rings, I didn't keep steady._ _It knows I'm awake_.

The elite gave a little cough to hopefully cover up his pause in breath. The ploy worked. Finally, satisfied, the Demon swiped a tangle of black hair back and went over towards the kitchen appliances. "Rest up and heal up big guy." it chimed. _Why is it keeping me alive? We are enemies…_ He was pulled from his thoughts.

The Demon turned on a water dispenser and walked over towards one of the large metal appliances. He watched intently as it began taking its armor off.

He let out the breath he had been holding. _It is just a human. Nothing more._ It was just as pale and fleshy under her armor as her exposed face had been._ Nothing more than human. _

Once the Demon had ripped off the torso piece he could clearly see the scar he had given it.

The scar was one that a Sangheili family would have sung of with pride…if the Demon were Sangheili. It twisted and curved, and when the Demon turned in the light it appeared shiny compared to the surrounding skin. Certainly one she could not hide. The she-demon appeared slightly crooked because, along with the scar, a large chunk of its side was missing.

The Demon poked and prodded the puffy flesh and growled angrily.

A little twitch of satisfaction at causing a Demon grief made him smile. But mostly he felt pure respect for her, considering she was now his sworn enemy. _She still lives, and so_ s_he is my enemy from this day forth._ It felt strange that his enemy was female though. He knew that both human sexes fought…but he always thought them not equal.

True enough on the battlefield the females fought as bravely as the males, but he couldn't shake the feeling. Sangheili never let their females fight. Briefly he tried to imagine a soft, pampered female Sangheili in armor, using a weapon. The thought almost made him laugh.

_Females are for giving life, not taking it._ As he looked closer at her ghostly skin he could see other scars that riddled her from head to heels. Plasma burns washed about her limbs, stretching slashes raked her back, he thought he could make out Kig-Yar bite marks, and…strangely bullet wounds flecked her body as well._ Clearly she has taken many, many lives. _

Each scar was a testament to her prowess.

This she-demon was every inch a warrior. He felt utterly fascinated.

_So much I could learn from this demon…_

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading. Remember I have a ChallengeContest on my profile page. Check it out and dont forget to Read and Review! **


	8. Dealings, Healings, and Schemings

**Yeah I know... I was a little off schedule. What? Thanksgiving can make anybody feel too full to do anything for days! So far I have had only one person submit a story for my challenge. I need at least one more person. Unless you all want said person to get to pick a marine AND an elite to be featured in my story? Well, if you are interested visit my profile and get the details. By the way, I do not own Halo or anything related to Halo and stuff.**

**ALSO: Finals are coming up. You know what that means? It means I will probably be too swamped with real life crap to actually submit any more chapters for up to but not limited to 3 weeks. Sorry guys. The story will be continued after said crappy life crap.**

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><p>\/\**N**\/\/

Nurse grunted unhappily.

He knew he needed supplies for the Trauma Center, but he hated that he had to leave Mistress alone with the elite.

He needed a lot of items, and he knew that Mistress would be mad if she saw how depleted he had let the supplies get. Despite his exhaustion, he puffed out his chest when he imagined Missy going all commando and drilling "Suck it up you pussy!" The thought made him chuckle and brightened his mood despite the dreadfully long walk.

Above the next hill was the large covenant encampment; it lay sprawled over the once fertile human city park. Covenant were milling about the yard, running errands, carrying weapons, trading war stories.

He could easily slip in amongst them, after all, who would bother to notice a small Unggoy? But still, he felt the need to tread carefully. He stuck to the shadows of the purple barrack units. And finally found what he was looking for.

Nurse came in through the familiar dark alley-way that led to the back of the Unggoy barracks. When he entered a pair of large Unggoy charged with guarding the door eyed him.

Nurse "kept his cool" as the humans say. The guards were large for Unggoy, they both towered over him, fierce and imposing. They appeared identical: Green armor, thick muscles, beady eyes, angry glares. Save the one on the right bore a blackened mark above his breast that could easily be mistaken for a scorch mark.

He waddled up to the one on the right and said nonchalantly,"Just got back from the _Left Wing Trauma_. Medic had me run an errand_._" Nurse smoothly gave the guard a slip of paper with Mistress' signature.

The guard looked over the paper, then nodded knowingly and let him pass. Nurse nodded back and quickly slipped into the grunt barracks.

He took off his breathing apparatus and gave himself a good long scratch on the nose. "Ughh…" That felt great. It felt good to just walk around in here without that thing on. It felt good to just take a lungful of sweet, non-metallic-tasting air! After taking a few seconds to just breathe easy, he shook himself from his moment of bliss. _Back to business._

Inside sat a feeding nipple, a few lockers, and a rack full of Unggoy methane tanks and breathing apparatus'. His destination lie between the small space between the feeding nipple and methane tank racks.

At first glance, you wouldn't even give a second thought to the slim shadow between the bright purple equipment. He knew what lay beyond, and he was one of only a handful that did. It was a tight fit and a short walk through a dark maze.

A dim light flickered from around the next curve. The cramped maze widened into a medium sized, cozy chamber, furnished with luxurious chairs, ornate tables, and intricate rugs (all appeared to be a mixture of human, jiralhanae, and kig-yar origin). From behind a large table and chair sat Fayay, his black armor made him seem to melt in with the shadows in the dimly lit room.

He was a rather small Unggoy, but he was in no way to be underestimated. He was an untouchable grunt smuggler of the black market, and his alter ego a rather well-noted special operations Unggoy.

A lithe looking female Kig-Yar with a breathing apparatus of her own was sprawled across a delicate looking reclining chair. She was Fayay's companion, though some say mate; he heard she went by Jak.

Fayay abruptly cut off the conversation he was having with Jak as soon as he saw Nurse. "Ahh! Haven't seen you in a long time Palip…Nurse…whatever the hell you call yourself nowadays. You and the human girl still helping our brave Unggoy soldiers?" Nurse handed him the note and replied "Mistress does all she can to help our people. She has taught me many things. And I learn more every day."

The little smuggler leaned forward, his large eyes sparkling mischeivously, "You learn any new bedding techniques from the human girl? Saw a couple Jiralhanae having a bit of fun with some poor human a couple days ago. Always wanted to try that you know..." Nurse looked uncomfortably at Jak, but she either didn't care or was used to her companions bawdiness_._ None-the-less, Nurse shifted his feet uncomfortably.

Fayay seemed oblivious to Nurse's discomfort as he rattled on, "Not with a male though...yeesh, are they ugly. A female wouldn't be too bad I suppose. I heard some stories about those females having some rather nice handholds on them; I think it'd make up for their looks. You let me know when your Mistress decides to teach you something I can relate to." Nurse could feel the blood rush to his face, making him blush. When Fayay saw Nurse's shocked expression he laughed darkly, a surprisingly deep throaty roar for his size "I'm just messing with you. I have to admit; I really admire what you two are doing." Jak had slunk from her recliner and was eyeing the note Fayay clutched in his hand. "And if you need anything, let me know. I'm always willing to help out…"

Jak quickly squawked, "To an extent." She spoke in the language of Unggoy, but her screeching native tongue gave her a strange accent.

Fayay glowered at her but smiled a wide toothy grin when he looked back at Nurse. "This could be tough to get, though. A most difficult endeavor, and worthy of my smuggling talents!" Fayay's laughter boomed in the small room.

Jak glared at Nurse and whispered something in her partner/mates ear. His laughter broke off and he turned to the note again, hastily scanning. "Sangheili rations? I thought you said the human couldn't facilitate Sangheili scum?" Fayay's expression darkened, and as if on cue, Jak slithered over towards Nurse.

He gulped. _Oh shit._ The jackal clacked, "You know our contract…Palip." His heart was beating rapidly; it felt like it was in his throat. Jak ran a clawed hand down his spine. His heart beat faster and faster. Jak circled him as if she was a lioness and he was a particularly juicy piece of meat. One of her longer claws tore his skin, making vivid blue blood run down his back. She brought her long, sharp toothed mouth to his ear and hissed, "You know what will happen if you cross usssss."

"Mistress said she can make groundbreaking antibiotics for…Kig-Yar! With this food..." _Stupid. They aren't going to believe that._

Jak clacked her beak, a look of interest sparking in her eyes. _That…That might actually have worked. _

Jak clacked her beakish mouth twice more, "I have come to understand that your…mistressss is quite skilled when it comes to medicines." She slowly withdrew her claws from his back and looked him over, thinking. She replied with hesitation, "I might be able to get you the required amount of rations…but only if you promise me some of those antibiotics." Jak glided back over to where her mate sat and he looked thoroughly pissed.

_Whew. Glad I got out of that with only a scratch…still hurts though. _Nurse weighed the consequences of his bluff, while tenderly rubbing his wound.

Mistress was super smart…she could concoct an antibiotic no problem. _But she is going to kill me for making her have to do more work, especially when she is hurt._

Suddenly Fayay smashed his fists on his desk, rattling whatever was inside…waiting for Nurse's agreement. After a moment of thought, Nurse bashed his fists on the ground, each pound echoing in the small room, sealing the deal.

The supplies would arrive at the usual time. _Plenty of rations and medicines to keep Mistress happy at least. _

\/\/\**M**/\/\/

Without knowing how long she had been unconscious she decided it best to check on her other patients (a single jackal and two grunts). At first she was scared that they might have starved to death or worse…but, thankfully, they were fine and fast asleep.

Nurse must have sedated them before he left. All she had to do was wake them up and give them her remaining rations.

After all that, she returned to the surgery room. _I really wish I could wear my armor. But I guess I shouldn't freak him out. _Her already nervous heart jumped into her throat when she saw that her Sangheili patient was awake. He sat on the edge of his "bed" and was scratching at his leg bandage. He looked up at her when she walked in.

"Uhh…" She said stupidly. _Fuck. Nurse I need you! You're my freaking _translator! _How the hell can I talk to him? _Missy tried to think of something. She had heard elites talk before…on the battlefield. _What the hell, give it a shot. _"So, uhh…Wort, wort, wort?" From the way the large elite cocked his head at her, she knew that she her attempt at speaking Sangheilian had failed miserably.

No surprise there. "Fuck. You don't understand a single thing I'm saying." Missy could feel her cheeks getting hot from embarrassment.

The large elite boomed "I can understand you fully, human. And I do take offense at your attempt to communicate."

Her jaw dropped "How can you understand me?"

He clacked his lower mandibles, whatever the hell that means, and replied "Part of my training. English is child's play…Where is the Spartan that chopped off my leg?"

That caught her off guard. She hadn't thought he would remember so much after the trauma he had endured.

But Missy kept a poker face and simply replied "Probably left you for dead on the field. He probably had better things to tend to." He eyed her suspiciously but seemed to take her word for it. _He doesn't know I'm a Spartan. Thank goodness. Who knows how mad he might get if he found out I did that to him._

Still, his behavior was unnerving. She had come in here expecting him to be angry, or at least dead from suicide. Whenever she had tried to heal other Sangheili in the field, they had all either blown themselves to smithereens with a grenade, or made her have to kill them.

She couldn't help feel a little suspicious at how easily her patient was taking all of this, especially his missing leg. _He doesn't even look bothered. What the fuck? _Shaking away her suspicions she tried to be polite,"So… your name is?"

The elite growled at her, his mandibles chewing at the air "You shall _never _speak my name. Nor shall you ever hear it, _human_." _Oh, so that's how it's gonna be? You gonna be all high and mighty now?_

Missy just shrugged, "Fine. Have it _your _way." She cautiously walked over to the metal table and motioned for him to lie down.

He didn't seem to understand her hand gesture, so she in an exasperated huff, "Ok Splits. Gonna need you to lie down so I can check out your leg."

The elite she dubbed Splits snarled "You mean my stump?" But surprisingly, he lay back on the table. _That was a little too easy._

She made sure to keep a wary eye on him while she was so close.

Carefully, she cut away the fabric and observed the healing tissue.

_Oh dear. _

The bandage had appeared fairly clean…but the wound underneath was definitely infected. Puss was seeping from the violet stump, and it reeked of decay.

Without thinking she reached up to feel if he had a temperature. Splits smacked her hand away painfully and roared "Do not touch me vermin!"

Not thinking yet again, Missy growled right back, "You better shut up and let me work, you ungrateful worm! I'm trying to check if you have a temperature so you don't die!"

She was taken aback by her own stupidity. _Oh fuck. I called him a worm… Now he is going to kill me._ They were so close; he could easily grab her. Even with her super speed, there was no way she could skip out of his reach in time. She cringed, waiting to be utterly destroyed…but Splits didn't crush her into a bloody pulp like she thought he would.

Instead, he watched her with a sort of veiled fascination…kind of creepy.

Pushing the thought aside, she reached up cautiously. When he made no move to reject her, she pressed her hand against his throat, just under his lower mandibles. He felt very hot to the touch, and clammy with a sweat. "Oh, no." Missy picked up her nearest scalpel and fished out a bottle of elite-grade antiseptic from her medical bag.

Splits weakly called after her, "What is it human?" After finally yanking out what she was looking for, and spilling most of the bag's contents on the floor, she rushed back over to Splits. The medic used her left arm to gently but firmly hold his stump down.

"I need to cut away this infected tissue, and then clean it out." She expected him to object…but he baffled her again.

"Do whatever needs doing, by all means." he replied nonchalantly.

She hoped she didn't look as shocked as she felt. _Whatever. Save now, worry later. _The elite gasped when she began cutting away the infected flesh, and he banged his fist on the nearest kitchen counter, but he held in like a trooper.

Even when she poured the stingy antiseptic and scrubbed the wound he did little more than grunt occasionally.

On a particularly tender portion of stump he screeched at her with what she assumed to be Sangheilian curses. And his fingers curled in front of him, as if imagining strangling her.

He did not lay a finger on her, but as soon as she finished she jumped back from him and sighed. Missy was just glad the wound was clean now. Splits was looking at her through narrowed eyes. She matched his glare "You're still alive aren't you? Be happy." Splits just growled and tenderly rubbed the newly bandaged stump.

After cleaning up her mess, and packing up her supplies, she felt her stomach growl. _Man, am I hungry! _Her thoughts went to the elite nursing his wound "Hey, Splits!" He turned an orangey eye towards her and grumbled.

"You hungry?"

/\/\/**V**\/\/\

"You're still alive aren't you? Be happy." growled the Spartan.

He should have killed her.

_She was standing right there. Right. There. _And yet…he couldn't kill her. That had been his chance.

Wasn't that what he had been so patiently waiting for? But his curiosity had stayed his hand. That had always been his downfall.

That was why (despite his massive size and superb swordsmanship) he had become a stealth major. Curiosity. And this conundrum was just too tantalizingly strange.

The questions buzzed in his mind. _Why is she so secretive about her being a Spartan? Where is her team? How does no one know of this place? _The most intriguing question of all was: _Why is she helping The Covenant? _

At least he thought she was helping The Covenant. He had heard Kig-Yar and smelled Unggoy in the building, anyways. He had also noted several canisters strewn on the counters labeled things such as: Unggoy antiseptic, Unggoy smelling-salt, and Kig-Yar Capsaicin. He assumed she was a human healer…only, she healed her enemies. _That is why she is trying to heal me…but _why_ is the real question._

If he killed her right away, he gained honor, but he would lose answers. The very thought of losing potentially vital information made him cringe. _However…If I go along with this a bit more, I might be able to learn something worth great value. I can always kill her afterwards. _He was the best in his fleet at decoding and retrieving information. His talents were widely respected and commended. This was a challenge he could not pass on. Think of what he could learn from a Spartan! He could present his findings to his commander and rub it in his face. The thought made his blood boil with excitement.

The Spartan interrupted his musings "Hey, Splits!" He glared at the human girl. _If she keeps calling me that I might have to kill her early. _"You hungry?"

Truthfully? He was starving. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten. _Should I eat the food the Demon brings me though? What if it's poisoned? _

He blinked at her dumbly, not sure what to say.

She just rolled her eyes...peculiar, "Whatever, I'll try and find something that your body can handle." She turned on her heel sharply, her white long coat swirling after her. _She doesn't want me dead, from what I have been able to gather. But I do not know that for sure. _There really wasn't a choice though. Either he died from poison, or from starvation. What did it matter?

He growled angrily to himself. He will just have to play the part of patient…as much as that annoyed him. The Tuyok didn't look down on medics as much as other Sangheili family did, but this was still an embarrassment.

Voro' just wanted to get off this damn bed and _do _something. He wanted to disappear and explore this trauma center. He wanted to decipher and pry apart the secrets of this place. _But how can I get any information in this state? _His armor was gone (which meant no active camouflage), his leg was chopped in half so he couldn't walk, and to top it all off he was sick from infection. _I should have killed myself. _Curiosity held him captive, filling his mind to the brink with wonder, keeping him from doing the only sensible thing in this situation: suicide.

As he puzzled over what to do next, a smell wafted through the air and made his mandibles quiver.

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><p><strong>Thank you all for reading and reviewing. I love you all. Please continue to read and review and I will love you more though! Also check out that challenge I have made...seriously.<strong>


	9. Perseverance

**Arrrrgggh. I know its been a long time. So sorry about that. And (brings out shield for protection) I might not be able to post as many chapters as I was before! Thought I would just tell ya real quick-like...like a band-aid. I got a lot on my plate right now, and don't get me wrong I love this story to death, but I just dont think I can handle as much as I was. I do plan on doing a rather late christmas or new years chapter...or not, if you guys dont want that let me know.**

**(Oh yeah, I DO NOT own Halo. ;_; Sad I know.) Please enjoy this next chapter.**

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><p>\\/\**M**/\/\/

"I fucking give up!" Missy screamed.

The huge old-tech microwave was a little worse for wear after being Missy-handled: a few dents here and there, its door more than a little bent with a cracked, tinted view window.

_Note to self: never try to cook again. Geez, what a piece of…_ The beaten machine mockingly blasted a staticky _beep, beep, BEE_… before Missy began murderously tearing the god-awful thing apart.

She let out an angry huff as she threw away the mutilated microwave and the burnt remains of what she had hoped would be a good meal. After taking a moment to calm her infuriated nerves, she grabbed a handful of brown packaged REMs. They weren't bad, but they were getting to be harder and harder to find. She really needed to find another source of food. She had _hoped _she could use the microwave to boil water and cook food but obviously that wasn't gonna happen. Why did they have to make microwaves such a pain in the ass to use?

_Huddy could have figured it out in no time… _Just the thought made her sad. _He is probably long gone by now, or dead. Along with most of the other Spartans. _Half-assed anger fluttered in her belly for a moment at her brief moment of weakness. _So what? You are alive...that's all that matters._

As she came to the double kitchen doors she made sure to wipe her face clear of expression. _The last thing I need is for split-face to see any sign of weakness._

She kicked the heavy metal kitchen doors open and revealed her patient sitting up in bed, rapt with attention.

She tried not to laugh. He looked so hungry; she could see thin silvery strands of liquid dangling from his mandibles. He was drooling! _Like a hungry stray dog. _She smiled sweetly to try and cover up the humor in her eyes. _Lucky for him though, I like dogs._

He watched her with a mixed expression of caution and anticipation."You are so big. I figured around 10 foot? Anyways…I knew you would need more food than me." She handed him the tomato soup, beef and beans, and the beef stew packets. Those didn't contain dairy, which from her study of elite physiology, would cause him to have _very _irritable bowels. She had definitely made a personal mission to one day give him dairy though, as payback for her scar. _Not now though, he's sick enough._ _But_ _soon. _It took every ounce of decency in the maniacal medic to hold in an evil laugh.

He eyed her cautiously when he took the packets of food. After the ordeal with the microwave she wasn't feeling in a particularly good mood. Her patience suddenly evaporated, "Oh for the love of… Here!" She snatched the packets back and scooped small samples of each food item out with her white plastic spork and dumped them into her palm. She showed him the palm full of food then licked it up and swallowed. As she showed him her clean, wet palm she huffed, "There. No poison. You have my word as a doctor."He grumbled at her comment, but accepted the food packets back without any complaints.

She went over to a nearby crate and got busy eating her own food. Peas, carrots, white rice and chicken (or what was supposed to pass as chicken). She scarfed the questionable sustenance cubes down all the same, not really caring about taste.

When she looked up at Splits he wasn't eating his food. "Aren't you hungry Splits?" The elite looked at the food packs longingly, "Erm…how am I supposed to eat this?" Honestly? She hadn't even thought he would have trouble with that. "I gave you a spork. Figure it out." She knew it sounded harsh, but he deserved it. He glared at her but went back to swirling the contents of his food pack.

She watched him out of the corner of her eye, curious to see what he would do. He was toying with the too-small plastic spork, studying the shape and picking at the midget prongs. Her superb hearing caught him mumble, "Interesting utensil." But as he tried maneuvering it in his massive hand he broke the cheap plastic in two. Splits growled in contempt but refused to let that keep him down. He tried picking it up with his hands, and then tried using his mandibles to grasp a bit of the bean mush…neither of which worked entirely well. After making a beany mess, he stared at his food angrily, as if that might make it give him an answer.

She lost interest after a few moments and went back to eating. When she had finished her whole packet she found him still staring at the food, more saliva dripping from his jaws. He looked so pitiful.

_Oh sure. Make _me _feel sorry for _you_. You big pussy. _

She sighed angrily, "Why don't you try dumping it down your throat…hole…thingy?" Splits shot her an angry look, again. "Fine. Starve, whatever. Can't say I didn't try to help you." The medic kicked her feet up onto the nearest counter and pretended to sleep.

She knew he would take her advice…but only if he thought that she didn't know it. A low rumble came from his chest, followed by an exasperated _rarrgh_. Before she could count to 200 he dumped one of the packets down his throat. Once the contents were down he sat there a moment, as if waiting to explode or something. Then, when he felt sure of not exploding, he downed the other two packets eagerly.

The Spartan opened her eyes and kept a poker face, but inside she was smirking, "Feel better Splits?" Surprisingly, he didn't give her the I'm-gonna-kill-you-in-your-sleep look. He actually looked...grateful?

"Yes…erm, thank you…" He seemed to struggle as to what to call her.

Before he could come up with something worse than Demon she interjected, "Missy. You can call me Missy. And you're welcome."

…

With Splits resting up in the operating room, she decided to check on her other patients. She had already checked on them twice today, but her stress was making it difficult to do anything else. Not just from Splits' strange behavior, but because Nurse was still not back.

_What could have happened to him? It's been two days since I woke up and who knows how long I was out before then? _

She knew technically the grunt was an adult, but (as much as she hated admitting it) she felt an odd maternal tie to him.

She looked down at her unconscious Unggoy patient "Me. Maternal. Hmm, hmm, that's pretty funny." She had saved him, so she was responsible for him right? The big, bad Spartan couldn't stop worrying about the poor lil alien. Where could he have possibly gone? A few gory mental pictures of other grunts on the battlefield flashed through her mind some of which she had personally killed. Ripping their packs off leaving them to suffocate, tearing out their intestines, twisting heads off, kicking them like a football...gory, monstrous memories. Which she quickly suppressed.

_Suck it up medic. _Whether he came back or not, she was well over due for a visit back at The Base. She hadn't been back in months! They were bound to wonder where she was. Not only did she need to help them…but she needed a good dose of humanity. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of actually talking to other humans. She missed the marines' sassy, smart ass comments.

The grunt on the bed gave a little squeak and interrupted her attempt at happy thoughts. "You think _you _have it bad buddy? Step in my boots once. I nearly died, my assistant is missing, and to top it all off I got a crazy elite watching me like a hawk!" After a few moments of ranting to the oblivious alien, she decided it best to get back to duty.

/\/\/**N**/\/\/\

"Nnnrrk." Nurse grunted as he finally, _finally _reached the bunker.

He hated how long of a walk it was to The Covenant encampment. It was worth it though. _Mistress should be proud of me for taking things into my own hands when she wakes up. _A huge yawn interrupted his thoughts. "So…tired. Sleep…" He felt half dead with exhaustion.

The grunt made his way through the dark maze of curving corridors that led to the secret chambers. The darkness made him feel all the more sleepy. _Snap out of it. After you take care of Mistress you can sleep._

He just prayed he didn't have to change out the waste disposal units in her suit again. He shivered at the thought…that had been horribly awkward. He really hoped that she might be awake already.

He entered the main hallway of the bunker, half expecting to see Mistress waiting for him. But she was not there. _She must still be unconscious. Now I feel really bad leaving her like that. _He had been worrying about her safety the whole time he was gone. Her armor made her too heavy for him to drag away from the Sangheili. He had even tried taking it off, but with no luck. The Spartan II book had given him instructions for the waste disposal units…but the rest of the armor had been too heavy and too difficult for him to take off by himself. So he had to leave her there, and now terrible thoughts were bubbling up.

_What if the Sangheili woke up before her? He would have killed her for sure! _Despite his exhaustion, he found the strength to run to the operating room. His little grunty legs couldn't carry him there any faster! Lungs burning, he stumbled into the operating room. "Mistress!" He squeaked. But she was not on the floor like he had left her. But the Sangheili was right where he was supposed to be. And he was awake.

Nurse never realized just how _big _he was until the giant sat up from his table. He loomed over the grunt, blocking out the overhead fluorescent lights. His dark, serpentine neck coiled with thick muscles and bulging veins. He looked straight at Nurse, his orange eyes seemed to burn into his soul. "Who is your Mistress Unggoy?" His mandibles moved as he spoke, giving the appearance of gnashing jaws.

Nurse could feel the blood rush from his body at once. He was about to turn to leave, but the long armed elite grabbed the back of his methane tank and hoisted him into the air effortlessly.

"I asked you a question grunt! Who is your Mistress, are The Convenant here?" He growled, his mandibles clacking ferociously.

Nurse struggled in his grasp, and yelped when the strong alien shook him hard. The grunt was maybe 1/8 the size of the elite but Nurse flailed his arms and legs as hard as he could. "MISTRESS!" He screamed "Help! Help me!" The massive Sangheili growled again, his voice like thunder in the little alien's ears, "Worthless coward, answer me. Who is your Mistress? Who is it you serve?"

There was a swirl of white fabric and a glint of steel flashed in the dim kitchen lights.

"That would be me. Unhand my assistant, if you would be so kind." Nurse dropped to the floor and scuttled behind the strong human.

The Spartan held a deadly sharp scalpel right beneath the elite's throat, ready to slice with surgical precision.

The Sangheili flicked his eyes over to Mistress' face, filled with a restrained anger. Their eyes locked, his orange and hers blue, neither willing to give in to the other.

For a moment, Nurse thought the two might fight to the death. But to his shock, the Sangheili relaxed, "I did not realize that it was your assistant."

Missy carefully coiled back from her potentially deadly patient, but still held tightly on to her weapon. "His name is Nurse. I would ask that you treat him with the same respect that you give me. After all, he is the one who saved your life." The Sangheili did not appear interested in that prospect, but none the less he laid a hand on his chest and dipped his head ever so slightly "By my word."

Nurse did not feel comforted by his words.

Not. At. All.

/\/\/**V**\/\/\

_Is this really worth it? _

Voro' lay looking at the yellowish, chipping, grimy ceiling above him.

_I haven't learned anything from this human. She continues to anger and humiliate me. I haven't learned anything since coming here! _He slammed a fist on his metal bed.

And he was so sick and tired of just sitting here! _Something must be done. Or else I am going to rot to nothingness on this bed. _

For the fifth time today he turned himself onto his stomach, and grabbed the sides of the bed. _The only thing I can do is try to keep my upper body strong._ He would do 300 pushups this time, then maybe he will be exhausted enough to fall asleep. It seemed that was all he was able to do lately: sleep and eat. At least in his dreams he could walk, run, and imagine killing the human Missy as much as he wanted.

The Spartan hadn't allowed him the freedom to leave this room "because of your infection" she had said; more like, because I don't want you to learn the secrets of this place.

_When she comes in here I am going to demand her to let me out of bed. I am perfectly healthy. She has no more excuses. _The door began to move inward and he was about to give her a piece of his mind, but then he saw who came through the door. The little grunt named "Nurse" shambled into the room. He carried three brown packages of food. Voro' shifted back into a sitting position, and awaited his meal patiently.

When Nurse scuttled closer he could see the methane-breather was shaking something terrible. He took the packages from the assistant carefully, "Thank you _Nurse_." Nurse flinched back from the sound of his voice, but grunted in reply. _He might know something After all he is her assistant._He tried to put a non-threatening smile on his face, but from the look on Nurse's face it did not work well_._ Instead he tried friendly chat, "Won't you stay awhile? I thought it necessary to speak to you, considering you saved my life." The grunt shook even harder than before. _Fear will loosen his tongue. _

The grunt shifted his feet nervously "But Mistress might…"

Voro' cut him off, "I understand if you are preoccupied of course, being Missy's assistant and all. By all means, don't let me keep you." The Unggoy looked down at his feet shamefully.

_Perfect._ "Well, Mistress shouldn't be too busy. I guess I can stay for a bit." Voro' plastered a delighted look on his face "Good! Very good. I am glad, we have much to talk of." The Unggoy only stammered "W-what is it th-that you want t-t-to talk about?"

. . .

_Waste of breath._

The grunt had only answered the vaguest of questions. Even after he tried to be friendly!

_When I finally learn the secrets of this place I swear on the blood of my fathers that I will rip his head from his shoulders._ The grunt had talked for hours on end about things he did not care to know. He had dodged all of his important questions and substituted in meaningless ramble. _The only true piece of information I got out of him was the name out of this place. _

And a rather dull name it was, he thought. _Left Wing Trauma? What is that supposed to even mean?_ Voro' slammed his head back onto the cool metal bed and tried to get some sleep despite the heavy weight of failure pressing down on him.

\/\/\**M**/\/\/

After a session of pushups, crunches, melee and stick training; she felt like visiting Splits. _His infection is most likely gone by now. It's been over a month. _Sure enough, when she walked up to the kitchen door and peered in he was trying to keep his body in condition as well. He was completely focused on his exercising. He didn't notice when she walked up beside him.

She gave a cough to draw his attention. This surprised the elite, making his hand slip off the table, his body following suite. He landed on the floor with a *fwump* and a loud "Narrragh!" Missy bit her lip to keep from laughing, and went over to help him.

"Here, let me help you…" She stooped to sling his arm across her shoulders.

But he shoved her roughly, causing her to slam into the wall three feet away. _Ouch. _Any normal human would have probably been knocked unconscious from the blow, it just made her mad. _At least now I know what he's like when he is completely pissed._ Splits was clutching his stump of a leg, tenderly rubbing it.

"Fuck. Splits. Let me help you." He shifted his attention to her, a look of determination deep set in his alien features, "No. I must learn to adjust. Just allow me a moment to recover." She slouched against the wall, watching his breathing even out. He grabbed the side of the table and pulled himself up. At first she thought he was going to hoist himself back onto the bed…until he slung his other leg underneath him.

_Sangheili legs aren't meant to support weight. _She had learned that much from her corpse anatomical studies. They were like horses back on Earth; they lose a leg they can't live. Because of this she kept expecting to come in here and find him dead…yet he kept clinging on to his impossible life_._ His good leg was shaking terribly under his weight, crimpling from the pressure. It made her feel sick to her stomach, like watching an animal in a trap slowly tear its limb off.

She couldn't take it anymore. "STOP! Stop you're gonna break your other leg!" He slumped back onto the floor panting from the pain, "Wha…What? I have to learn…Gotta live. I need to know…so much I must learn."

She crouched next to him ad waited for him to snap out of it. Once he was calm enough the medic spoke softly "I can help you. Maybe we can work on this thing together huh? This is my job you know."

Splits rolled his eyes (something he must have picked up from her, she noted with pride), "Human...fine. Whatever."

She got up from the floor and started looking for something she could use. "Just stay right there Splits. I'll find ya somethin to help. Just don't move."

_A broom? No he would break it in half. What about some human crutches? No, he would break those too… _

Her eyes rested on a snaking length of metal piping near the wall to her left. It was a little rusty, but it looked to be good solid metal. With her augmented strength she ripped it from the wall. One end was flat, while the other had an elbow interlock. After bending it so it would be a little more comfortable she handed it to her patient, "Here, you can lean on this till I figure something out."

He looked at it curiously but grabbed hold of the elbow end.

* * *

><p><strong>Aaaand Cut! Ok. Thank you for reading my story! Please review! Oh, and quick shout out to our first and second place winner: Colonel-Mustard1990! Hooray! I <em>will <em>use your characters, trust me. I know its been awhile now, but I'm building up juicy story bits.**


	10. A New Player

**Alright! In this chapter I will finally feature Colonel-Mustard1990's character! If you want to read the story he entered into my contest, and I highly recommend that you do, go** **to:**

.net/s/7747686/1/Just_Another_Day_in_the_Neighbourhood

**(Just copy and past after fanfiction in the url bar)**

**I do not own Halo, anything related to Halo or Bungie. Annnnd back to the story:**

* * *

><p>\\/\**N**\/\/\

_If Mistress keeps this up I'm going to get an ulcer. _

He could already feel a hiccuppy gurgle in his belly, he'd be surprised if he didn't have one already.

"No! No, pleeease Mistress…please. Don't. Go. What if…" He was so scared he couldn't even _think _about what might happen if she left him here alone.

Mistress smiled down at him knowingly, "I have to go Nurse. The Base needs me again, and besides, things have quieted down here. You even have a new assistant!" A new assistant? That, that _monster_? _Oooohh! If she hadn't been the one to save me that day I would…I would…! _Anger made him clutch his fists together.

Mistress cocked her head to the side slightly, blue eyes innocent, her dark hair lightly cascading from behind one ear. _Sometimes I just want to throttle her._ He let out his held breath in a sigh of defeat. Once Mistress was set on something there was no changing her mind. "I..I just don't think this is a good idea. I mean he tried to kill me!" His savior looked down at him with understanding but didn't look like she was going to budge on the matter.

"I know he was mean to you. But he promised to be nice, and seriously?" She lowered her voice to a barely audible whisper "I really don't think he _could_ hurt you, even if he threatens." The human tied her hair back into a messy short tail, and then shrugged on her "travelling medic" coat. "And besides, just kick his cane out from under him and you'll be fine." Nurse still did not think this was a good idea, but Mistress tended to be right about…well, a lot of stuff.

She must have seen his dejected look because she all of a sudden chimed, "Hey! You wanna know something?"

He tried his best to look brave, strong, and confident, "What Mistress?"

She kneeled down and pulled him gently to her chest, arms wrapping about him. He felt more than a little shocked. He had read about this before in a couple of human novels. Humans called this a "hug". _A form of human endearment. Missy _never _shows any form of endearment…or even acts like she cares half the time. _Strangely, the hug felt warm and comforting, despite that he felt scared and angry. "I think you are the bravest creature I've ever met, Nurse."

. . .

Mistress picked up her bulging green doctor's bag of human medicines and medical instruments. "Ok. I got everything. See ya guys later!" Nurse waved goodbye and said his farewells. But the whole time he kept a steady eye on his new "assistant".

The monster clutched on to his crutch tightly, mumbling goodbye and seeming more than a bit confused. _Let him be confused. I'm not going to tell him anything. _Once Mistress disappeared into the darkness of the bunker maze Nurse went back to work. Pretending he didn't hear his "assistants" questions.

Luckily, he had been left the majority of the various human chemistry utensils and containers. Finishing up Mistress's toxicology report on patient 2 ought to calm his nerves.

Two ruined samples and a broken beaker later, he felt worse than before.

To make things even more worse, the monster had slunk in, sat down and started _watching _him! He had been doing just fine up until then.

Nurse cleaned up his mess, trying to not look over at him. He could actually _feel _him staring at him. A horrifyingly unexpected bought of rage overcame Nurse and he screamed, "WHAT?"

The alien blinked stupidly a couple of times, and flared his mandibles in anger "How dare you…" Then suddenly seeming to realize just who Nurse was, he cleared his throat and growled, "I just wanted to watch. I, well…don't have anything better to do." He seemed to be simmering with anger, but made no move to strangle the grunt. Nurse wasn't sure how to react to this whole situation, he hadn't exactly found any books in Mistress' collection about Sangheili psychology.

"I am…was, trying to finish Mistress' toxicology report on patient 2." The big Sangheili did not appeared to not be listening, he looked like he was mulling something over…so what was it he wanted?

After a moment's hesitation Splits asked "I was wondering. What do you do with all of the patients? It seems like the old ones just disappear, and then are replaced by new ones." Nurse let out a sigh of relief. _Was that all he wanted? _"I'll show you if you will agree to help me."

Without a moment's hesitation the alien piped, "I agree."

/\/\/**V**\/\/\

_Well, at least I get to finally _do _something for a change. _

The tiny alien was waddling ahead of him. The Unggoy paused and waited for him to catch up. _Hrmph, if I had both legs I could out pace him easily. _But he didn't, and so he must be treated as such. The cripple growled angrily mostly at his own incompetence, but picked up his pace regardless.

"Do not wait on me. I can handle myself." The Unggoy called Nurse grunted in reply and turned to lead him further down one of the dark hallways in the labyrinth. He had already been warned not to try and find the exit _"Don't go poking around in the tunnels. There are places in this bunker system even I've never explored." _Missy had looked rather convincing; but he really doubted her honor, so therefore at one point or another he was definitely going to come back here.

His mind was racing with all the things he might find in an old human military bunker. Maps, battle-tactics; prophets be true! He might have hit the intel jackpot! His mirth slowly dissipated when he saw the obstacle in the path. Nurse stopped at the top of a set of winding stairs and turned to look at the Sangheili.

The way that…inferior creature was looking at him made his blood boil. _Pity. I don't need pity. _The whelp began to say something but Voro' walked right past. The stairs were only illuminated by the flashlight Nurse carried. Even with his superior night-vision Voro' wasn't sure he would be able to see down here. He knew that methane breather was watching him for any slip, any mistake possible. The Sangheili carefully lowered his crutch, and then began his long decent.

. . .

_I made it. _Of course he was exhausted afterwards…but he hadn't fallen. His left arm throbbed from the crutch, and his good leg was aching but he wasn't about to complain. Between a huff of breath Voro' mumbled, "Must humans still use stairs?"

Nurse was smarter than he looked, because he didn't attempt to answer.

Suddenly, a smell wafted down one of the black passages. It caught his attention in that moment, pulling him out of his thoughts. It smelled heavy, moist, and carried the unmistakable scent of death. The grunt must have noticed him sniffing, "That is the morgue. I don't like it either…but…"

Voro' finished for him, "Research. What kind of boddies does your mistress study I wonder? No doubt she enjoys dishonoring the Sangheili dead."

The little alien gave a little shudder, "Not just Sangheili…any she can find."

The Sangheili snaked his head toward the scent. "By the smell she must have a lot of samples." Nurse nodded, looking like he was going to be sick, and continued to lead them to the passage left of the morgue. _Hmm…wonder if I knew any of the bodies. _With that last thought he couldn't help feeling that he should have been down there, already rotting with his brethren.

. . .

As they rounded the next corner, Voro' Tuyokee could hear their footsteps ring out into a large expanse. _A chamber? _Nurse waddled to a side wall and with a grunt flipped a heavy metal switch. Voro' had to shield his eyes from the sudden harsh, bright light. But when his eyes adjusted he gasped, "By the rings…"

Missiles. Racks and racks of them. Large launch pads big around as a wraith took up most of the floor, along with old, dusty consoles. Heavy-duty maneuvering machines hung overhead, ancient skeletal remains of what once must have been the best human technology. _These aren't just regular missiles. These are nuclear missiles._

Through his many encounters with humans and his own intel recovery he had learned much about these nuclear weapons. He remembered hearing of a human planet now called "Chernobylas" where two rival human colonies had blown each other to oblivion, turning the planet into a barren, irradiated wasteland.

Ever since, these hellish weapons of mass destruction had been outlawed and the documents to their manufacure supposedly destroyed. The thought sent chills down his spine. "We are sleeping above a chamber full of nukes?" He was definitely not going to be sleeping much anymore.

The grunt looked surprisingly calm. "Mistress says they are all duds. Flukes she called them. They will not harm anyone. I wouldn't test them though." Before he could retort, the little alien spun on his heel and took him out across the large missile chamber.

Nurse stopped beside a rather crude looking vehicle. It had four wheels, four crummy torn up seats, and a rather flimsy looking shield-like thing on top. _That doesn't look like it would protect anything. _Besides its ridiculous design, it was also quite hideous. It was splotch painted in colors of black, browns, and greens. On the side in white letters were the words "Nurse's Caddy" rather sloppily painted. _How quaint. _Nurse hopped into the driver side and proudly rattled, "Mistress said that this is called a golf cart. It used to be used in some kind of sport or something. Anyways…we strap the patients to the back seats, and then drive them out to a random location near a Covenant encampment. By the time the patients wake up they can just walk back to camp!" He seemed truly proud of himself.

Voro' was half tempted to say how stupid that plan was and how they were eventually going to get caught. _What am I thinking? I want them to get caught! _He bit back his comment and instead went to go sit down for a minute in the cart.

Not as comfortable as he thought it'd be. His spine was curved differently than a human's, his leg did not fit comfortably, and he had to hunch over in the seat_. _Once he was situated and semi comfortable Nurse pressed a button on the front panel. The vehicle sputtered to life and released a rather nasty smelling black cloud. Suddenly Nurse cranked the thing into gear and they were off. _Should we really be driving around these nukes? _But the grunt was not frightened, so he won't be either.

After a short ride around the room the grunt pulled the "golf cart" bottom of the stairs. "Ok! Now we can go get the patient."

Voro' sputtered, "What? We have to go through that all over again?"

The little alien gave him a challenging look, as if saying _what you can't handle it? _That made him angry instantly. "I have had it with this pity! Grunt! I _demand _you take me to my armor!"

}}}}X{{{{

The council chamber was dark and majestic. Iridescent royal purple metal coated the walls and floor. The only source of light in the gloom was cast from dull, phantom-like, blue control panels.

One such panel cast a large projection of photos of slain Sangheili, each projection more gruesome than the last. A booming voice echoed in the vaulted, cathedral-style chamber as countless rage-filled souls drank in every word.

The need for justice was tangible…though not everyone seemed to feel it. Xarrel' Thallemee was truly and utterly bored. He sat near the back in the shadows, as he was accustomed to doing. His brown-grey skin the only thing visible as his black armor enshrouded him in the darkness.

_Must he rattle on? _It seemed like it had been 3 cycles since the special operations commander had begun his rant. Moral of the story, a thief arrest had gone fantastically awry. _Apparently some of us cannot handle a simple thief. _

It was an unholy mess. The holo-grams displayed the deteriorated and strangely melted corpses of a stealth minor and stealth major. He took careful note of which of his peers cringed away from the gruesome shots, and then stored it away for later. He had to admit, whatever did this had flare. The purple blood stained the ground, the chests were nothing more than hollow casks (even the bones were strangely gone). All-in-all whoever did this was a real badass in his opinion. _I feel sorry for whoever gets placed on this mission. Seems like one hell of a task. _

He came out of his thoughts when a particular name caught his attention. "Yes, that's right. Our report says that Voro' Tuyokee has been reported missing he was-" It was all he could do to keep from laughing right then and there. _Voro'? That rich snob? Missing? _The massive Sangheili had been one of his assigned team members on some of his more stealth-reliant missions. Not a bad guy, although he wouldn't be seen grieving for him.

Xarrel's father, on the other hand would have killed to hear this. _Only you can't. You stupid honor-worshipping idiot. _Yes, his father would have loved this very much.

The Tuyokee had been the bane of his father's existence, he was always ranting _Mr. Meanperson' Tuyokee, way back in forever ago stole our families honor by slaying Poorlilguy' Thallemee and taking his valuable family doodad. _The names always changed, the thing taken changed, the honor stayed the same. _And look where that gets you. _

He felt thankful for the darkness then. He smiled, his broken and crooked lower left mandible twitching slightly in strain; the ugliness of it tended to make even the most reserved stare.

He smiled in a twisted form of disgust at all the ass-kissers in the council room, readily assuring the commander that "I will find the culprit single-handedly", "I will surely bring Voro' back alive", "I will find him fastest." All the little children trailing after _Mother Dearest _hoping to get a pat on the head. _Go get 'em you sorry bunch of half-wits. _

He on the other hand was going to take a nap.

. . .

Xarrel' stepped outside the dark council chamber and instantly winced at the brightness outside. _The sun here is too damn bright. _

After a moment of blinking the water from his amber eyes he started wading his way through the crowd of camp-goers. _The one good thing about being a Sangheili is that the crowd tends to recede for you. _He tried to not relish the overwhelming feeling of importance as grunts, jackals and even the occasional skirmisher jumped out of his way.

The feeling left when he arrived at his purple, dented pod. The inside was just as mediocre. Being from a relatively unknown family meant that he got hand-me-down supplies.

But, he had a bed, and a place to put his standard-issue weapons and armor so he was satisfied.

Just as he started to remove his helmet a methane-breather poked his head into the pod "Xarrel' Thallemee, the commander has requested your presence."

_Of course. _Xarrel' began the tedious job of fitting his helmet back on, being ever so careful not to hurt his injured mandible, all the while cursing. When he finally finished he snapped at the staring grunt, "Well? Take me to him."

. . .

Alei' Lunjasee the special operations commander was waiting for him when the grunt brought him to his chamber. He was not large in stature, incredibly bright, or really much of anything. How he managed to become commander, Xarrel' had yet to find out.

Xarrel' noted just how lavishly his commanding officer lived. Large, spacious living quarter, comfortable looking chairs with matching tables, and great trophies from past victories decorating the room. Lunjasee stood looking at one such trophy…the head of a demon. Silver in color, blue visor cracked, its helmet caved in; a remnant of the human race's last attempt at salvation.

Lunjasee turned when the Unggoy announced in the shrill voice of his species, "Special Operations Minor, Xarrel' Thallemee." The commander made no thanks or even noted the grunts presence, just simply stared at Xarrel', his mandibles tight.

_What is it that upsets the commander so? _Not that he really cared…what really concerned him was why he was involved. Lunjasee motioned to the two chairs nearest him, "Sit, we have much to discuss." Xarrel' warily sat down, anxious to know what was wrong. Alei' clacked his lower mandibles slightly "As you know, there was a terrible incident at the supply dock-"

_By the rings…I was _there_! I don't need a recap! _But he played the good little soldier and listened, nodding his head appropriately and growling in anger at the death of his brethren. "-and I think you are perfect for this mission."

Xarrel' had already guessed this would be the case. But why did he want to speak with him in private? "Commander, I am truly honored to be given such an assignment." He touched his fist to his chest, looking as honored as possible, "But," Did he dare to continue? The Commander splayed his mandibles slightly in the beginnings of indignity. "I don't see how this befits my rank."

Alei' calmed, and even gave a hearty laugh, "Ever the clever one." The commander studied him for a moment, considering his words carefully, "You have a certain…disposition. I have pored over file after file of possible candidates, but out of them all I think you will fulfill this task greatly. Now, there is a complication that we must discuss."

The commander's holo-projection pad hummed to life then, and began playing a recording.

The special operations minor leaned forward in his curiosity. This was a projection he had not seen in the council chamber.

The recording showed the figures of two guards at the top left corner, they were only visible from the waist down; half their body obscured by the ceiling of the supply building. Xarrel' focused on it intently, hoping to get a good glimpse of whatever the commander wanted to show him. Suddenly, one after the other, the two guards fell face-first onto the ground.

"Those two were given some kind of chemical that knocked them unconscious instantly," Narrated the commander "They do not recall anything prior to that moment." Then there was nothing. The video played and played.

Xarrel' counted to 45 before there was a black streak and a glint of metal. "What was that?" A growing dread was creeping up his spine. The commander tapped a couple of times on a holopad near his chair. The shot replayed at a slow and re-enhanced pace.

The black streak was a stealth minor being quite literally, thrown across the screen.

His bad mandible twitched of its own accord as he glimpsed the next figure racing by.

The video paused revealing the only enemy known to strike fear into the Covenant…a Spartan.

Brown armor made it blend in nicely with the surrounding dirt and grime. He wanted to get a look at its face, even though he knew it impossible to see the creature behind the visor. The only thing he could see was it sprinting past, fists curled. In the right it clutched what looked to be some kind of needle.

"I felt it necessary to not show this video during council…didn't want to spread panic. You must do this quietly. I want no one to know." Xarrel' wiped away any signs of fear that might be on his face and turned to his commander. And put on his ugly smile, just for him.

"A suicide mission? I'm flattered."

_I'm going to die. _

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><p><strong>Hooray for new characters! I have to say I'm having a great time writing this story and I really appreciate all of you guys that continue to read my story. Please be sure to check out that story I mentioned in the beginning of the chapter! Love you all (especially if you review :D ) Till next time.<strong>


	11. Memories Resurface

**Hello! I deicded to make this one a lil bit longer. I don't know if I can stick to this length but...I will try to at least have a minimum of 3000 words per chapter now. I really appreciate all the lovely reviews! Thank you all for your comments and support! **

**Before I forget, I do not own Halo! **

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><p>\\/\**M**/\/\/

Just beyond the remains of the city lay the UNSC encampment.

Small tents were pitched up alongside small buildings and houses. Bordering the whole thing was what the marines liked to call "The Scrap Line", a massive wall made up of pieces of buildings, cars, and anything that might serve as a barricade. The camp wasn't much, but it still looked intimidating. Marines patrolled around the compound on mongooses, while sentries walked the wall, sniper rifles in hand. They had been through many skirmishes and had enough experience now to keep an eye open at all times. This was a particularly active part of the city; small fights between marines and covenant were common.

_Which is exactly why they need a traveling doctor._ Her doctor drabs consisted of: a blood stained pair of jeans that were more reddish than blue, a drab green shirt (also covered in blood stains), and a once white lab coat. The coat was still fairly white on the back, but to let people know she was a medic she had a sloppily written "MEDIC" with a cross painted below it in more blood.

She lugged her large medical sports bag to her other shoulder as she topped the hill. It had been a long walk, but relatively safe. She holstered her favorite shotgun when a group of marines pointed in her direction.

When she got a little closer, four marines came to meet her. Two carried assault rifles, the other two pistols. As soon as they saw it was Missy their weapons were quickly replaced with wide grins and waves.

"Missy Massacre! So good to see you again! We got lots of boo-boos that need kissing!" The tallest marine said, as he made a kissy face at her.

Another cheeky marine chuckled "Yeah I'm hurtin' real bad doc! Kiss _my _boo-boo!" He grabbed his crotch, resulting in raucous laughter from the marines.

Missy laughed but gave him a slug to the face, not enough to really hurt him, but enough to get her message across. _Don't fuck with me._ "There's your tender loving kiss! If ya want another one just ask." _Damn, I've missed this. When was the last time I actually laughed? _

When the large, cheeky marine stumbled back and fell to the ground, the others laughed even harder "Told ya she was a tough one! She don't fuck around."

Her bawdy marine friend had bit his lip but was otherwise ok; a small smile crept across his face "I like 'em tough." His eyes glinted fiercely, but he waggled his eyebrows at her comically.

She put up her hand in a mock 'woah' gesture "Settle down boys, I got a date with some bloody idiots." Without waiting for them to escort her she started towards camp.

Behind she could hear one of the marines whisper "Why do they call her Missy Massacre?" Another replied "I dunno, some say its cause she can take a guy that looks like he's been massacred and turn him out right as new." She smiled a little at that.

"All though," another replied even quieter than the first "Some say its cause she killed some people or something before this whole war thing." She let them carry on about her namesake and hastened her pace toward the rag-tag tents.

. . . . . . .

When she opened the flap that led to the medical tent she was stunned into silence.

_It's worse than the last time I was here! _A tall sinewy man, with tufts of white hair clinging desperately to his balding head busied himself inside the tent. He wore a pair of slacks and tee with a blood stained fashion similar to hers, if not fresher. He turned around when she opened the canvas flap of the tent, his eyes widened to an enormous size behind his thick glasses.

He stopped whatever it was he was doing and threw his arms in the air, "Thank God you're here!" He was up to his ungloved elbows in blood and when he threw his arms up fresh blood splattered all over her. _Red blood, human blood. _

Yep. She was home.

Missy couldn't help the stupid grin spreading so widely on her face, "Hey, good to see you Doctor Vaclavik…"

Before she could say another word he grabbed her by the wrist and brought her to one of the many screaming patients.

The marine before her was laid out on a cot, but he was delirious and kept thrashing around. Apparently precautions had been taken to hold him down, thick leather belts were strapped to his thighs, calves, and arms. A shoddy-looking leather strap head restraint attempted to keep him from moving too much. He clearly had head trauma, a large, painful gash was weeping blood. _A nice clean cut. Appears to have been made by a spiker._ Vaclavik was rattling on, giving her details on how he got the wound.

That didn't really matter now. Sadly she turned to her green, worn medical bag and pulled out a vial of her own barbiturate compound.

Her heightened senses told her all she needed to know. The pungent smell of death and decay wafted from his body; it was strong to her nose, but the others wouldn't smell it for another three hours or so. _This one lost his chance at life a long time ago. There is no helping him. _She was said to be able to bring the dead back to life…but she was only human at the end of the day.

"Tell the diggers to start making a ditch." she said to no one in particular, just so long as it gets done.

The marine on the cot stopped struggling for a moment. He turned his glazed eyes towards the sound of her voice and tried to reach for her, "Marie. MARIE! No, let me go! MARIE!" His screams pierced her like sharp needles. She was used to injured marines thinking she was their long dead lover. So why did she still feel that awful twist inside? She smiled gently down at him and whispered, "Hush now. I'm here to make the pain go away." The dead man sniffled, but visibly relaxed as she cupped his cheek gently, "It hurts Marie. It hurts so bad…"

She felt her heart ice over, but the smile on her face she kept thawed for his sake. "I will ease the pain, love. Relax for me. Go to sleep…I will wait for you."

At this she planted a light kiss on his forehead, and injected the lethal fluid.

. . . . . . .

"Ugh…" Missy flopped onto the bed.

Well, it wasn't really a bed, more of a straw and blanket covered plank of wood, but it would do. She had worked all day helping patients. The smell of blood was rich in the air and she felt sticky with sweat and other questionable substances.

She just got comfortable and was about to fall asleep when her fellow medic came into the back of the tent. She hated having to share a room with people, but that was a luxury she would have to give up if she wanted to help her fellow mankind.

Vaclavik groaned and stretched as a cacophony of snaps and pops rattled from his old, tired bones. He saw her lying in bed and jumped back with a raspy yell of surprise, then settled. "Oy. Been a long day. Too much work for an old man. I should be sitting on a beach somewhere, if it wasn't for this war." Vaclavik got dressed into a fresh pair of slacks and tee and settled into a bed across from hers. "I was certain I was going to die from exhaustion what with all these patients and all…And no matter how tired I am, the beds never relax me."

_He looks older than I remember. _His head had been covered with hair that made her think of thin wispy clouds before she'd left, and now it clung so precariously it seemed like a puff of wind might blow it all away. New wrinkles crisscrossed the old man's face and heavy bags burdened his eyes. She knew he was the kind of person who always saw "the glass half empty" but she had to say that his complaints were valid.

She should have been here.

She bit her lip in shame, "I'm sorry. But there are other…"

Vaclavik snorted, "Other medics? I think I speak truly when I say you are the only real doctor here. Heh, I was a veterinarian before all this exterminating began!" He laughed humorlessly, the wrinkles on his face crumpling into a scowl "We need you here. I know you can see how much better we are with you here."

The Spartan fought valiantly against her emotions. Regret, anger, sorrow, joy; they all raged against her, like so many hordes of screaming enemies scraping after her sanity. "I…I know." She turned over then, unable to bare the look of betrayal on her friend's face.

Sleep took her in an exhausted wave and she briefly hoped she wouldn't be plagued by dreams tonight.

.z.z.z.z.z.

*Huff, huff, huff*

Her legs moved as fast as they could. Quickly she dodged behind a bush, using its bristly branches to hide her position. She prayed that they wouldn't be able to see her here.

The cloudless sky provided a damnably bright moonlit night, but the wood was cast in confusing crisscrosses of light and shadow.

_They're coming_.

She could hear them yelling to each other in low voices, "I thought I saw one." Footsteps. Closer and closer they came.

The run had drained her of breath but the little girl held it in, she didn't want to risk them hearing her pant.

A man came eerily close to her bush and taunted, "Oly, oly oxen free! Come on out." By now her lungs were screaming for air, but she would not breathe until they left.

A loud _Krr-clunk_ sound echoed in the wood to the north. The footsteps retreated. Just as she thought she might die of asphyxiation, she took in a lungful of air and thanked any deity that came to mind for its sweetness. After a moment to settle down she checked her little pistol, 9 shots left_. I think there are about four of them. If I keep to the tree line then maybe I can…_

Suddenly a large hand reached in and grabbed her around the throat.

The little girl tried to scream, but her crushed windpipe only allowed a small croak. A burly, wild-eyed marine smiled, showing his chipped, broken teeth. She kicked and struggled in his grasp, but he held her firmly. "Where's your team you little runt? Hmm…you're a rather scrawny one, but guess that doesn't really matter. Long as we thin out the pack." He hefted a very real gun, an MA5B from the looks of it. He brought it to her face, all the while smiling "'Least one o' you lil'fuckers gonna pay for my busted mouth." Missy closed her eyes tight, waiting for the end.

A loud _BANG_ rattled through her bones. _I'm dead_.

But instead of seeing a white light, she saw only the darkness of her eyelids.

She felt the marine's grip on her falter. _I'm alive? _

She fell from the dead man's grasp onto her knees feeling light-headed from lack of oxygen. The marine had been shot in the back of his head; his remaining teeth were missing and now replaced with gushes of blood and bits of bone. Standing over her would be murderer was a young boy. The moonlight striped his features and made him seem ethereal.

She could see that he had a crop of bed-ravaged brown hair, an average build for his age, and creamy caramel eyes that seemed to shine even in the darkness of the shadows. He looked at her with cold intent, but strangely she felt safe. She noted his weapon was considerably different than hers: it was rather bulky, and had a scope attached to it with duct tape along with a chop shopped extended ammo casing. She briefly wondered if he did that himself…

"Come on you stupid ass!" He stretched out his hand and she grabbed it, knowing she would be ok with him. _He saved me…so he won't hurt me. _

Being the ignorant little girl, she blushed when she grabbed his hand and smiled shyly, "I'm 22. What's your number?"

The boy yanked her to her feet and growled, "Are you fucking serious?"

Her face must have shown her hurt, because the boy rolled his eyes and sighed "Ok, I'm 34. Now come on! Just keep running and we can make it to the spawn point!"

.z.z.z.z.z.

The hard white fluorescent lights were blinding in the examination room.

It reflected off all the shiny medical equipment, white tile, white walls, and white gurney. Missy took in a shaky breath to steady herself and tried to not look up at the viewing window, where she could feel prying eyes watching her every move with scrutiny.

Blood. Everywhere there was so much blood.

It covered the white gurney and was trickling down onto the tile below. She knew he would bleed, but there was so much more than there should be.

Missy felt fear twisting inside her gut from _their_ combined stares. She remembered them from the lab, and had only ever seen them once or twice. Halsey called them "The Three Stooges". The First was a rather portly, red-faced man who was always nagging Halsey with unimportant details and facts that he didn't fully understand. The Second was a hard, battle-worn man who loved nothing more than to chew on his favorite stogie. The Third one was referred to as the "clever bastard". He dressed sharply and had a shark-like appearance, but always spoke in an eerily soft voice. Halsey hated him with a passion, she had never told Missy why, but whenever he came ghosting through the lab her idol treated him with respect and a thimble of fear.

Now they were all here and watching _her_ closely. She felt her heart titter in nervousness as she corrected her bloody mistake. She had added a little too much of agent-02 to the subject too quickly, and the body was rejecting it.

The battle-hound scowled at her, his fat cigar dangling in his fingers. "22, I thought you had this procedure perfected? Or did Halsey lie to me?"

Missy was sweating bullets, "N-no Sir! I have this under control."

She tried to not look at her subject, telling herself over and over that this was just another specimen. It wasn't working.

Finally, the bleeding stopped, and the subject stabilized, then flat-lined.

The fat, balding administrator growled "You are killing the boy." Missy held up her bloodied white glove in defense, "This is a normal reaction. The subject will stabilize again. Halsey's process causes the body to go through short bursts of reform, and then relapses. It is a slower approach, but it covers a wider gene pool and is much safer."

The last administrator hadn't moved or said anything this whole time. He just watched her.

The cigar smoker had put his stogie back in his mouth and snorted, "A lot more expensive too. How can you guarantee this will work on all of them?"

Missy looked over at her specimen's monitor and watched it spike back up, he was going into another phase of reform. "I have proof from my mice experiments…"

Fat-man scrunched his chubby face in disgust, "Mice? We are talking about soldiers. We need them to be the best of the best. The insurrectionist scum…" He stopped when the shark faced man held up a hand.

His stare was intense, but he kept a warm smile plastered on his face, it made her blood cold. "Sweet girl, I understand you are called Missy Massacre… Please elaborate."

The question caught her off guard. She would rather be called 22 then that horrid name. She sputtered, "What? I..I don't like that distasteful name..Sir…I never.."

Shark man smirked ever so slightly, "Missy Massacre. You were deemed so by your own peers. Not that this is relevant in the least. I just…" He turned his dark-eyes back to the boy wracking with spasms on the table, then spoke in a honeyed voice, "Don't think we should trust the word of someone who would put her friends through such torture."

She grit her teeth, clenched her hands. Anything to keep from screaming in defiance. _It's not like I want to._

The clever bastard waved his hand, dispelling the tension. He cooed "Missy, I didn't mean to upset you. Please, continue."

.z.z.z.z.z.

_It's so nice here. Kinda makes me wish I was sick._ The room was nice. Peaceful.

Warm yellow rays of the sun streamed through the windows, warming her skin. She was used to the harsh fluorescent lights in the lab, this light is so much better. _34 will like it here._ The bed was soft, the room warm and cozy, and surprisingly no chemical smell despite it being the medical ward. She sighed, finally feeling the tension roll away from earlier.

_He looks so peaceful now._

He had finally stopped screaming. That was always the worst part. The screams were so much worse than anything else. Memories pressed against the confines of her consciousness, threatening to break free. She pushed them away. Focusing on her sleeping friend instead.

_He is alive though. _He had been left to heal for a couple of days in this nice room. But he had not awakened yet. Tentatively she reached out a hand and felt his forehead. He didn't have a fever anymore. His skin was still frighteningly pale, black-tinged veins seemed to bulge from his skin. _I hope his appearance will go back to normal. He looked so nice before… _

She realized that her hand had moved down to his cheek, cradling his head ever-so-slightly. The scientist pulled away as if she had just put her hand in a jar of acid. _What am I doing?_ The girl cringed away from these feelings. They were foreign to her. She had never felt this way with the others. The others had been so much worse; they had _died_…were these feelings from karma? Why did she want this boy to live so badly?

_He is just another subject. He is just another subject. He is just another subject…. _

She thought she saw an eyelid flicker, his lips move ever so slightly. Her heart leapt into her throat and her stomach fluttered.

The logical part of her was enraged. _What is this? What is this reaction? _As she fought with herself, a hand on her shoulder made her jump.

A blonde, now graying, tired looking woman gazed down at her. Her eyes blue as sapphires and just as hard. _Mother. _

"Doctor Halsey. Ma'am." Missy hopped up from where she had been crouched next to the subject's bed. Mechanically she spat out his medical status "The patient's fever has gone down, he has stabilized, veins are still black in color though receding, and…" Halsey was watching her with a sad, sorry expression. The bags under her eyes heavier, her eyes red and puffy. "Ma'am?" Halsey never showed emotion…ever.

"They're fools. They're going to kill them." Halsey mumbled low and turned her head to look at the patient.

Dumbfounded, the girl questioned "What?" Halsey wiped a strand of hair back, composed herself then turned back to her apprentice. Steeling over, she wiped all evidence of emotion from her aging features.

"The Stooges are going with Agnes's plan. They said it will sort out the weak genes from the strong…" Her voice trailed off, her eyes peering off into the distance.

Briefly Missy remembered the testing Agnes and Halsey had done together. Halsey's was more expensive but held great promise, Agnes was rather cheap and risky. The mice had dropped like flies when they had begun, and those that didn't die had to be given a merciful death.

She still saw some of the twisted, grotesque monstrosities in her nightmares…she could only imagine what it was going to be like with humans.

Halsey suddenly swept the girl into her arms, and began lightly stroking her black hair. Halsey had to get stretch to do so now, Missy was not a little girl any longer.

"M-Mother?" Halsey had certainly never done anything like this before. A sudden realization hit Missy. She used to dream of this when she was younger, used to crave affection from the only person she had ever really bonded with. Carefully, Missy put her arms around Halsey and hugged back. Mother shook her head into the girl's shoulder, tears staining her shirt.

The Doctor gave a choked whisper "I wasn't supposed to get attached."

.z.z.z.z.z.

"I don't understand…" Halsey had barged in during her MJOLNIR training. She wasn't exactly used to the suit and had been practicing in the gym all day.

The scientist looked extremely anxious, looking from side to side constantly, and whispering in barely audible tones…or what would have been, if it weren't for her newly improved senses.

"Be quiet 22." Halsey hissed again and grabbed her armored hand, causing the suit to blip a warning on her HUD. Why was she acting so upset? Halsey pursed her lips and brought a large needle filled with a clear liquid up to her suits IV port.

"Halsey?" Missy wanted to retract her hand. The suddenness and her actions were frightening her. Lately Halsey had been acting strangely.

"Don't move 22." Her training for utmost obedience to higher-ups made the Spartan freeze. Halsey inserted the needle and then whispered again, her lips barely moving "You're in danger. The Administrators want you dead. You know too much. You knew that we could have prevented so many of the children from dying. They plan on prosecuting you as a murderer, your experiments are now labeled as homicides." She pressed the plunger down on the needle. "You were a mistake, rampant, crazed. They threatened to send marines after you…I-" Halsey took the needle from her IV "I said that you deserved to die painlessly. I told them you trusted me and…"

The newly fledged Spartan was completely confused "What?" Far down the hallway, she heard someone yelling orders, the clatter of armored boots on the concrete floor.

"I was supposed to give you a sedative…but…" Halsey looked straight through her visor, her face a blank "It's only water. Huddy is waiting for you at escape pod 04. You have to hurry."

Missy wasn't sure how to react, this was all so unreal…but the shouting was getting closer, and she heard someone yell "Lock and load."

"Halsey…Mother…" She felt like a little girl again. A familiar pain bubbled up, the same pain she had felt when her real mother had died. She had tried to remember the woman's face before…but only saw Halsey. That familiar emptiness gnawed at her heart again. _I don't want to leave her._

Halsey suddenly reared on the girl, "Get the hell out of here!" She futilely banged a hand on the human tank's chest, but Missy felt like she had been mortally wounded.

The guards burst from around the corner and set up into a firing line.

"Doctor Halsey! Move out of the way," Cried Senior Chief Petty Officer Mendez as he leveled his assault rifle "That one's gone wild. Marines shoot to kill!"

For a moment, time stopped. Just barely, Missy thought she heard her Mother whisper something like _Goodbye daughter _but once the shots rang out, it was hard to tell.

Her HUD showed enemy targets everywhere. Bullets rained around her, making her energy shields flare. _I have to get out of here! _The training gym was full of large, suit training obstacles. She dodged behind the nearest one and listened to the flashing beep of warning from her drained shields. _No weapons, no fucking manual for this suit, and people trying to _kill _me! _She just didn't see how it could get any worse. "Ok." She whispered to herself, "Just gotta get to the pod." But how was she going to get there from here…

_Blin-ing! _A shot from her side of the obstacle caught her attention. More marines were pouring into the gymnasium. _Shit. _

Taking a deep breath, she counted to three, then vaulted over the barrier and made a dead bolt for the closest door. Her legs seemed to be moving faster than her mind. The suit was just so foreign in movement. "DAMMIT!" the infuriated medic screamed as three heavily armored marines blocked the door. She was going too fast and barreled right into them, knocking them into the doors with a force strong enough to break through the steel frame doors.

A monotone voice was streaming over the intercom system "Attention. Subject 22, Missy Massacre, has gone rampant. Shoot on sight. Repeat. Subject 22, Missy Massacre, has gone rampant. Shoot on sight. Attention…" Missy didn't have time to dawdle. She ran blindly down the halls, dodging bullets at every turn, and those she didn't dodge, her shields kept at bay.

A sign caught her heightened vision "Pods" it pointed to the left, four bays down the hall. Without hesitation she steered herself towards safety. _Shields are running low. _The bar had turned red and was beeping a warning. _Just. Almost. _She could see the pods. And there was Huddy! He stood halfway in the pod watching for her. His armor was a white and grey beacon of safety in that moment.

A pair of marines jumped from out of a nearby engineer tunnel and fired. Rage filled her being and she put all her weight behind her shoulder bash. She felt bones crunch under her weight as the trampled the one in front. The other fell to the floor in a heap.

No more enemies presented themselves at the moment. She looked down at the marine she had just tromped to death and sighed. The other one appeared to be unconscious, so at least she didn't have to kill both of them. Her legs felt like jelly from the suit's brutal treatment, they didn't seem to want to move right now that she was out of danger. She slowed down to a shaky jog and tried to recover. Despite her near-death experience she felt an odd wave of simple bliss overcome her. She was alive! She waved in triumph to her friend down the hall. _Can you believe I freaking made it? _Her pure giddy dropped like a rock.

He wasn't waving…he was pointing to… _BANG! _Red and a strange fizzling sound exploded in her vision. _Wait. I see a fizzling sound? How does that make any… _Her thoughts jumbled together into one spiraling dark mass as she collapsed to the floor, watching a marine fire his pistol at something behind her.

_Huddy. _A thundering blackness was rolling over her in huge sweeping waves, narrowing her vision until she could only see him gazing down at her. He was hiding behind that blocky helmet of his, but she knew it was him. _hE kaNt hyde fRm meeee..._

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><p><strong>Sorry if this drug on a bit, and for Missy going googly over Huddy. There won't be a lot of lovey crap in this story so don't you worry cootiephobias! ;) Please review I really appreciate it! By-the-way, in case you didn't know Dr. Vaclavik is one of Colonel-Mustard1990 's characters from his story for the competition!<strong>


	12. Downtime

**I know it has been awhile between my last chapter. I am having a rather busy time with all my homework, and also midterms are coming up. I just don't think I can give you guys the quality chapters that you deserve. So, regrettably, I must have a bit of downtime (hiatus).**

**I tried to squeeze in a bit of all the characters so you wouldn't miss them so much! ;) Thanks for reading, and enjoy!**

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><p>\\/\**M**/\/\/

_Aww…fuckinbuckets. _Missy rubbed her eyes. She felt like shit. Worst sleep she had ever had. Vaclavik was already awake. _Probably checking on patients. _That meant it was time for her to get some food. Food. Her mouth watered at the thought. Real, food. _ Well, more real than those REM's…_

It would be good to see her old friends again too. Oh, how she'd missed this!

When she opened the tent flap she was hit with a blast of hot air. Wiping the already accumulating sweat off her forehead she stepped into the large mess hall. _I must have arrived here earlier than I thought… _Usually the mess hall was swarming with marines eating, talking, arm-wrestling, and holding "manly" burping contests.

But, so far as she could tell there were maybe 3 others in here. She had kind of been expecting a little bit more of a greeting party to be honest…but, that wasn't that big of a deal. _Besides, there's a war going on. Everybody needs to be keepin a close eye on the enemy. _Still, the feeling continued to nag her.

Her mood did a 180 when she heard a familiar voice. "Be sure that meat is cooked to regulation! And when I say regulation I mean I wanna see it nice and crispy! These boys deserve the best we can give 'em!" Corporal Herat was giving orders? When did that happen?

Missy stood waiting by the counter, leaning over to try and get a peek at what was going on in the kitchen. Finally, she saw the lovable guy round the corner.

_He's changed so much. _Herat looked older than when she had last seen him. His dark skin seemed to take on a gray tint, and heavy dark bags hung under his eyes. She felt completely shocked when the bedraggled man suddenly broke into a wide grin and pulled her into a huge hug over the counter, almost pulling her over.

_If I didn't have augmented bones, I'm pretty sure he would have broken a couple. _ After strangling the air from her in his monster of a hug, he let her go. "Missy! There's my girl! How come I didn't hear about you comin' back?"

"I just got in, and then spent the rest of my time at the medical tent." She paused after seeing his face turn haggard.

"Yeah, the last skirmish roughed us up pretty good." Absently he rubbed his left hand. _It seems that he even saw some action. _Where there should have been a hand was a rather crude metal appendage. It looked to be made out of spoons and forks…

Herat must have seen her staring, but he gave a bellowing laugh to lighten the mood. "Yep. One of those bastards clean _ate _my hand! Nasty bird-looking thing you woulda been scared to death hun. Apparently he didn't realize that being a chef means you only cook the food." He gave a shaky laugh to try and ease the tension as he twisted the hand around a bit, making the makeshift digits whir slightly while flexing. "Your pal Huddy made it. It's little rough. But a hand is a hand, and being the new Mess Sergeant means I gotta lot I need to do with my hands!"

"Wait…what happened to Winters?" She remembered the big McCarthyistic man. He wasn't a favorite of hers, on account of him labeling her an insurrectionist because she had had to give him a vaccination. He had claimed _"That doc's putting tiny transmitters in us! Why else would everybody have to get one? I'm telling ya, by next week the insurrectionist scum is gonna show up right on our doorstep." _Of course, they had never come. But, despite his negative qualities and hysterics, he was a part of the base.

"Ah, Winters…" His bright eyes clouded over in deep thought. His bushy brow furrowing. She felt bad for bringing up the subject instantly, but she had never thought the two cooks had liked each other. "That old gas-bag died of a clogged artery. Go figure. And, you know…being the only other respectable chef around here meant I got the promotion. So, this is my mess hall. Heh, guess that means I got my wish to manage my own "restaurant" huh?"

The Spartan bit her lip, not really sure what to say to that.

Herat changed back to his smiley self in a flash, "Whelp! You came in here for food didn't cha? I'll go fix you up a plate."

_Everything feels so different here. How bad was the attack? _The three marines that had been in here before she arrived had already left, leaving the mess hall strangely empty.

Herat came back with a plate piled high with a variety of steaming fresh food, but she felt like she had a rock in her stomach. "He-Herat? How…bad was it?"

The hearty chef's weak smile disappeared. He sighed as he put the plate down on the counter. "Hun, you might want to take a seat."

/\/\/**V**\/\/\

After another long trek up those prophets-forsaken steps the grunt brought him back to the dividing hallway.

The smell of the morgue was as gruesome as ever, and Voro' just wanted to get away quickly. As he headed for the stairs to go back up he noticed the grunt was not following.

Nurse stood in front of the morgue hallway, his knees knocking. "Grun-Nurse, I would really like to get my armor as soon as possible."

The little grunt hiccupped a bit and then squeaked "It's in the morgue."

"Why is it in the morgue?"

The little grunt started to slowly creep down the hallway, "I don't know. Mistress moved it. I don't know where exactly it is, but I know it's in there."

Voro' sighed heavily and pushed past his frightened escort.

After a moment he was pleased to hear the pitter-patter of the grunt finally following. Nurse scuttled past him, skipping around his slow awkward gate.

Another click from a heavy metal switch turned on more damnably bright lights.

Metal examination tables and counters were covered with thin, stained, white sheets. He could guess what lie beneath based on the strange bumps and curves. Purple blotches colored a few of the covered corpses, but some were orange, a few were light blue…and many were red.

At this he did do a double take, "Her own kind?"

Nurse did not look at the veiled forms; he just got busy looking in various boxes and crates. He gave a very bland reply of "Yeah. But some of them we just keep here to cremate."

_Some of them. _Briefly he wondered how many dead bodies his host had toyed with. The thought was disturbing…he couldn't imagine a Spartan warrior playing mad scientist. In fact it just didn't seem normal for any kind of human. Although, admittedly, Missy was not what he would call normal.

He examined a particularly small red-stained cloth to his right. Curiosity buzzed at the back of his mind, he felt an impulse to look under the ghostly sheet. And, when Nurse wasn't looking, he peeked under.

He wasn't sure why, but his hearts felt like they had just jumped into his throat.

He knew the horrors of war…he had done some nasty things himself. But there was something about a dead child…no matter the species, that made him feel….sickened.

It was so small. So frail. It looked like many of the humans he had killed before, but miniaturized and it had an absurdly large head. Thick brown curls were matted with blood, its eyes closed in eternal sleep. Its chest clearly showed the cause of death, plasma rifle burns and residue flecked the hole there.

This was no enemy, not even a possible threat. There was no need to kill this…child.

He felt disgusted with whoever might have killed this defenseless whelp.

_But The Covenant _glasses _planets. More than a couple children died then. _

The thought kind of caught him off guard. He had only ever had to kill or be killed; he never really put much thought into the defenseless. It was an unsettling thought.

Sighing he, carefully, settled the sheet back over the lifeless body.

_Why are we fighting this war again? _For some reason, he couldn't seem to remember anymore.

From deeper within the morgue he heard the little grunt squeal "Found it!"

Desperate to escape his thoughts, he hobbled toward the sound of the grunt's voice and found his armor strewn across a counter. And piled high on other tables were jackal, elite, hunter, grunt, and human armor. All of it blood soaked and worse for wear.

"This is good. I can use this." He studied his armor, taking note that it had been cleaned and laid out carefully. "I require tools for my task. Does Missy have any human or Sangheili tools?"

Nurse went over to another work bench and with a groan, picked up a very heavy looking, carry-supply unit. "Mistress said she found this next to a banshee and a pilot. Said she was going to give it to her friend…Huddy. Guess, she forgot."

Voro' was never really good with the whole pilot gig, but he was however decent at repairs and replacement. The tools were worn and well-used, but he could certainly do it.

"So…what did you want all this for?" Questioned the little alien.

After grabbing a nearby crate and plopping himself down near the counter, he replied matter-of-factly "Building a new leg."

}}}**X**{{{

_So…I get to pick three teammates huh? _

Not like anyone voluntered to help him.

Slowly he scanned the crowd that stood before him. Many of the higher ranks tried their damnedest to not look miffed…but he had a tendency to see right through that guise. Many were silently spitting on him, angry that he was chosen and not them.

_Not, like I want to go off and die. Can't say much about these fools. _He turned back around, pacing the other way, drawing this out so he could pick out those that would be impatient or hard headed. _Now let me see…where are my flinchers?* _If he was going to pick someone, he'd rather it be someone strong, yet manipulative. Easily disgusted, but perhaps a little ignorant.

His amber eyes locked on a promising flincher.

"You, there…" He pointed toward a rather large elite and asked lightly "What is your name?"

The bruiser swiveled his head to the right then left, making sure he meant him. He bellowed, "Ugh…my name is Haer' Nenilee."

_Ah, another no name. I don't think I could've chosen better. _"Haer' my brother, I wish to have your company in bringing Voro' Tuyokee back safely. Be warned, it will be a most difficult task." The prideful fool puffed up at the challenge.

Haer' looked to his more intelligent comrades for assurance. They shot him looks that clearly stated "No." Haer' was obviously too thickskulled and unable to take the hint. He put his fist over his hearts, bowing his head in respect "Of course. Brother, I will fight for you."

Politely he gave thanks, smiling inwardly, and then continued his search. _Maybe I will try a different approach. Something to weed out the feeble. _A truly wonderful plan came to his mind in an instant.

Xarrel' splayed his jaws in his signature grotesque smile, making sure they all got a good long look at his twisted, broken mandible. The crowd couldn't help staring like blathering idiots. But there were a select few, that had to turn their heads away. Out of the few he remembered in particular, a short, skinny Sangheili. _Doubly weak._ His smile stretched wider until his mandible ached.

"You." His poor target looked up in an instant, feeling his gaze. "Me-e?" His voice was a strange shrill that made his ears hurt. Very odd for a Sangheili. "Yes, you. What is your name?"

The pathetic excuse for a Sangheili clicked his top mandibles repeatedly in distress "I-I'm… Inol' Yatatee." _Hmm...__His family is known for their skilled eyes and practiced patience. _A sniper…not what he had in mind, but he'll do.

"Join me Inol' it would be an honor to have you on my team. Together, I know we will be victorious."

The boy shuffled his feet lightly then mumbled, pressing a thin hand to his chest, "I am honored. I will serve to the best of my abilities." _You'd better. _

Xarrel' nodded. _I have my bruiser, my weakling…now maybe some cannon fodder. _He looked over to the small pack of grunts off to the side of where the Sangheili stood attention. They at least hid their feelings quite well. He liked that.

They all looked completely alike. They all wore black armor, and they all were about the same height, they even looked to be about the same weight.

He slowly started to show his smile…but got absolutely no reaction from the hardened soldiers.

_Plan B then. Eeny, Meeny, Minyyyy…Moe. _His gaze landed on the one in the second row, second to last.

"Grunt, come with me." No formalities were needed here. The grunt bowed his head deeply, and then took off to pack his things.

_Ahh. I'm actually starting to get excited about this mission...bet that won't last long._

. . .

While the team was preparing their weapons and armor, he thought he might do a bit of digging into the situation. No one had even thought to try and question the guards more thoroughly.

_Our brothers would never lie to us…they would never hold back anything._ Ptah. He was not so naïve. He was going to find out just what they knew. One way or another.

The medical pod was mostly empty besides a few grunts and jackals. There were Sangheili beds in the back section, but only a few. Most Sangheili would rather die than be in a medical pod.

But because the guards had been knocked unconscious they were placed here. _No loss of honor, Prophets forbid! _

When he got close enough, he activated his camouflage. Not supposed to do that in camp…but what are they going do about it? Carefully he slunk towards the two and listened to the conversation they were having.

"Yeah Bro. I heard that creep got put on the mission."

"Creep? Who…"

"Oh, come on man. You can't _tell _me you don't know who I'm talkin' about."

"Erhm…No..I…"

There was a loud smack as skin slapped skin along with a small yelp of pain. "Idiot. Xarrel' Thallemee got put on the mission! The bro with the funky mandible?"

No reply.

"Special operations minor, worked with Voro'?"

Still nothing.

"The fucking psychopath!" The one snarled.

"Oooh! Right man, I gotcha… Wait, the psycho got the job?"

Another smack followed by a louder "Ouch!"

_This is getting me nowhere. _The only thing it was doing was making him angry.

He crept back out of view and turned off his cloaking. Making sure no one had seen him.

Then he walked right on in, acting as if he hadn't just heard them call him unsavory names. They were both minors, the only noticeable difference between the two was that one was a dark blue-gray while the other a tan. They both appeared a little stunned by his sudden presence…good.

"Brothers, I need to speak with you on a certain delicate matter." Xarrel' activated the door, causing it to slide shut with no more than a whisper. _They label me a psychopath? I guess I need to live up to my status._

The two idiots exchanged curious glances before swiveling back to him. "Uh…sure man." started the blue-gray. He appeared to be the smarter of the two, although they were still both insolent fools.

Xarrel' sat down on one of the terribly uncomfortable beds. "Now, I need to know everything that happened."

Right away the dumb, tan one piped "We don't remember anything! We were knocked out by…something." He turned back to his comrade, as if for affirmation. The smart one flared his top mandibles ever so slightly out of anger. _Hmm…interesting. _

Xarrel' got off the bed and casually strolled over to one of the medical stations in the corner. Various violet metal tools and utensils lay in neat perfect lines. "Your cooperation will be greatly appreciated. I ask that you tell me the whole truth."

He turned around slowly, brandishing a rather sharp curved instrument. He held it up to the light, as if interested in a better view. Making sure they got a good eyeful of him toying with the deadly device.

The smarter one visibly swallowed, his mandibles gently gnawing at the air.

The dumb one was practically hyper-ventilating.

Xarrel' put the blade down, earning him a sigh from his suspects…only to grab a bigger blade and stalk towards the smart one.

He moved with predatory speed. In an instant he pinned the blue-gray guard, and shoved the blade in between his mandibles, prepared to slice if he made a peep.

The dumb one was well…dumbfounded, as he had predicted.

"Utter a single whimper and I will lodge this into your brain." He pricked the smart one lightly with the shapr point, making the victim under him squirm. But he made no sound. Xarrel' retracted his blade, but only slightly.

Assured that the smart one would comply, Xarrel' spun toward the dumb one and landed a full force sucker-punch to his face. The dumb one's head snapped back violently, and he lay slumped in his bed. _One less to worry about._

"Doma'? Do-" Xarrel' quickly turned back to the suspect.

He trailed the device lightly across the skin inside the other's mandibles, trailing it out of his mouth, and rested its razor edge against the sensitive vein in his throat.

He looked deep into his dull brown eyes and whispered hurriedly "Your friend is only asleep. Tell me what I want to know, unless you want the both of you to end up in a much worse condition." To make his point, he ran the blade over his victim's jugular, harder than before, and in excruciating slowness. Drawing just a tiny amount of blood.

"Y-you're insane! F-fine! Just, stop it!" His smile returned and, he had to admit, it was a truly psychotic grin.

\/\/\**N**\/\/\

"No." Nurse scolded, then bopped the Jackal lightly on the head…yet again.

Why they always did this, he would never understand. They were intelligent beings but every time you put a cast on them they would attempt to gnaw it off. Nurse had tried many, many, many, _many _times to talk to them, explain that this was ok. But it was like some kind of instinct or something.

The Jackal blinked dully at him again, its mouth just starting to open as it bent its head to attempt to gnaw at the cast engulfing its right arm, yet again. "No." Another bat on the head.

He turned back to his reading, keeping one eye on his patient. The book was a lovely primitive thing he had to admit. Made with semi-flexible wood and a bit of worn brown leather backing, it looked antique and held a charming quality. And truth-be-told, he kind of liked the feel of turning the pages.

Although, as he peeked at the wealth of medical and technological scrawl, he felt guilty. He had been told never to look for this particular book or read it.

But why not?

Delicately he traced a blunt claw over the human indented text that read: _Orion Project: SPARTAN-II_. He saw no reason why he couldn't read it. He was Mistress' apprentice after all. She had said so herself! And he would think she trusted him…he did clean her up after she came home with Splits.

And besides, he had learned so much about his Mistress' medical know-how! He had never known she was so brilliant. He knew that she herself was a Spartan…but he had never dreamed that his Mistress was the one who co-created the Spartans!

He felt great pride in being her apprentice.

"No." Bop. This time he gave the Jackal an angry glare, then turned back to his reading. Finished with neural interfacing and programing, now on to the next…

Blank. The next page was blank. Confused, he turned the next page, blank. There had to be about 100 pages left…why were these pages blank?

He flipped through out of curiosity. Blank. Blank. Blank, blank, blank, blankblankblanblanbla…

He was halfway through and there was still nothing!

He grumbled angrily. He thought there might be more in this book than just that tid-bit of information.

A strange tearing sound made him turn to his patient. "Damn it! Stop chewing on your cast you idiot!" He bopped the Jackal a little harder on the head this time; the cast had an ugly tear down the side from its sharp teeth.

In his haste, the book fell to the floor spine-down. When he looked back at it he noticed a page he had not previously seen before…nearer to the back.

Suddenly, Splits poked his head into the medical cube. "Is there something wrong?" He walked in, and stood off to the side, looking like he wanted to help.

Nurse did not want his help tho… _Wait a minute, walking, standing…_"Splits! You can walk!"

He hadn't put much worry into Splits tinkering with the armor, because honestly he didn't think the large alien would be able to actually build a leg. _Wait…he can walk now, he can run, he can catch, he can _kill_. _Nurse's knees were knocking together at the thought but he kept his face blank, remembering when Mistress had told him he was brave. _I am brave._

The large alien smiled and extended the rather crude looking robotic limb out for a better view. "It's not great, but it'll do." It appeared to not be made of just his original armor either. Several different colored parts and pieces were all meshing to form a cohesive working unit. It looked out of place next to his glossy, streamlined, ebony armor.

Nurse was not particularly interested in the monster's new mode of transportation, instead he went back to trying to fix the stupid Jackal's cast. _Just try and pretend like nothing is different… _"What's this?" The little alien turned, his eyes widening when he saw the large alien looking over the Spartan book. Nurse dropped what he was doing and sprinted over to the elite.

Boldly he jumped up and snatched it from his big claws. "This…this is my…my diary. Don't read it!"

Splits seemed unfazed, eyes burning with curiousity "It was written in human script…"

Nurse pulled a story from the air, "I am practicing my writing. I am going to help Mistress with human patients one day, I need to know how to write human."

Whether the elite had gotten the chance to read the books actual title, Nurse was uncertain of. His heart was thumping in his chest.

He clung on to it with his life, knowing that if Splits really wanted it, he could now beat him to a pulp. Every beat of his heart he repeated _I'm brave...I'm brave..I'm brave. _The two stood in agonizing silence for what felt like an eternity.

The elite looked him over carefully, sizing him up…then sighed.

"You saved me." Looking a little abashed, he then turned and walked back out of the cube with his new odd, mechanical gate.

Whether that was appreication, an explanation, or an accusation, Nurse could not tell. One thing was for certain: he would have to hide this book and then…

"Stop chewing your cast!" He bonked the Jackal on the head with the heavy book this time, knocking it unconscious.

* * *

><p>*Refer to Chapter "A New Player"<p>

**Don't worry guys, I really mean it. I will be back. I want to thank all you lovely reviewers that have given me such wonderful compliments and critiques throught this story. I really appreciate the time you put into reviewing. Please continue to read and review my story. Until next time.**

**-Love, Sterella**


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